Picnic Panic
by LeQuin
Summary: Hermione is home for an Easter barbecue that her parents are hosting. She's brought her boyfriend and is thoroughly regretting that decision. She calls a dear friend to help with the damage control.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer**

Harry Potter and all associated characters, locations and what not belong to J.K. Rowling and whoever she sells the rights to. I have borrowed these characters, locations and what not in order to mess around with them. In some cases I have lifted a piece of dialogue or scene directly from the books as a touchstone. I do not own anything except the plot and I am not making any money from this endeavor. This applies to the whole story.

* * *

 **Warning**

This is a story featuring Harry Potter and Hermione Granger which bashes Ron Weasley. If this is not your cup of tea then please don't read it.

* * *

Hermione stiffened as she heard a loud crash behind her. _Please, not again._ She was attending the annual Easter Neighbourhood Barbecue. The Barbecue was a tradition in their neighbourhood. They all took turns hosting it and everyone contributed to it. It was, as her father had once put it, an example of how people can come together without negativity. This year it happened to coincide with Hogwarts' Easter break and her parents were hosting. Traditionally the hosts also invited their families and particularly good friends. Hermione's parents had invited her aunt and uncle and her two cousins. In Hermione's case it had meant inviting her boyfriend.

Ron had been nervous about meeting her parents and she had tried to reassure him. _I wish I'd understood exactly how nervous he would be before thinking of inviting him._ Ron had arrived late. That wouldn't normally have been a problem if Ron hadn't chosen to wear his best guess at a muggle suit. The monstrosity was bright Chudley Cannon orange and looked like it had been made from carpet. Ron had chosen to pair this with a maroon shirt and a lime-green tie. The result was almost painful to look at. _I even explained to him what to wear. I know Harry loaned him a suit. How on earth did it come to this? If he had at least shown up on time I would have been able to transfigure his outfit into something more normal, but there's no way I could explain that now._ The other problem with Ron's tardiness was its cause. Apparently he had tried to imbibe some liquid courage and now he was falling all over the place. Hermione turned away from the elderly couple she had been talking to and saw her worst fears confirmed. Ron was lying in a tangle of folding chairs, cursing loudly as he tried to extricate himself. Hermione tried to contain her sigh of frustration.

"Excuse me please, Mr. and Mrs. Williams. I need to go help him." Hermione said to the shocked looking pensioners who had occasionally been her baby-sitters when she was younger. Mrs. Williams barely managed a nod. Hermione hurried over to where Ron was still fighting mightily with and losing to the rented garden furniture. She made quick work of getting the offending chairs out of his reach and within a minute had him clear of the table that was in real danger of falling over. _That would be a disaster. The food everyone contributed would be ruined if he knocked the table over. I'm not sure Dad would be able to restrain himself if that happened; he's about ready to throw Ron in the pool already._ As it was, Hermione could feel her father's glare at Ron boring into her back. She knew that her parents were upset with Ron and the way he was acting. _I think we can safely say that Ron hasn't made a stellar first impression._ Hermione almost cringed at her own understatement. _I need help. I'm not going to be able to corral Ron on my own and talk with everyone I haven't seen in ages like my parents want me to._

 _If I need help, I think I know where to turn._ Putting aside her thoughts for a moment, Hermione heaved Ron into a more or less vertical position.

"Hermsh! Shtupid shairsh was inna way." Ron slurred happily at her. "Wha' shay we ditsh t' muggulsh and have shome fun?"

"Ron. Control yourself." Hermione hissed through clenched teeth as she half dragged him to the fence that separated her family's garden from the neighbour's. She lowered him down and watched his head roll. "Stay here, okay? I'll go get someone you can talk Quidditch to." A happy grin stretched across Ron's face as he dropped his head back against the fence with a loud crack that made Hermione want to wince. Once she was sure that Ron was unlikely to be making any sudden detours Hermione hurried over to her mother. "Mum, can you keep an eye on Ron for a minute? I'm going to call in some reinforcements." Hermione's mother gave her a narrow-eyed stare that Hermione couldn't quite manage to interpret as an approbation of her idea. She ignored that for now and simply called out "Thanks!" before rushing inside. Hermione hurried up the stairs to her room and immediately started rummaging through her beaded bag, which had replaced her school trunk in short order after Voldemort's defeat. When she couldn't find what she was looking for, Hermione drew her wand from her wrist holster and pointed it into her bag.

"Accio Mirror!" She quickly reached out and snatched up the mirror that flew out of her bag. "Harry Potter." The mirror clouded over and a moment later Hermione was looking at the slightly confused face of her best friend.

"Hermione? Aren't you supposed to be at that barbecue thing your parents are holding?"

"I am. I just-... I need your help, Harry."

"My help? What for?"

"Ron's completely plastered. I know he said he was nervous, but I never imagined that he would try to resolve it like this."

"How plastered are we talking?"

"He can barely walk and it's only a matter of time before he breaks the Statute. Please, Harry, I really need you." Harry gave a sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Right. Let me just say goodbye to Andi and Teddy and I'll pop over to my place. Your parents had a dress code, right?"

"Oh, Harry, you are an absolute life saver!" Hermione gasped out. "It's not so much a dress code, really. Just dress smart, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. You owe me, Granger." Harry said with a rueful smile.

"I do. I know I do. Thank you so much." Hermione gave Harry her address and watched the ceiling of Andromeda Tonks' house as Harry took a moment to write it down. When he picked the mirror up again Hermione thanked him again.

"It's fine. I'll see you in a bit." The mirror clouded over again and Hermione felt a powerful urge to just flop on her bed in relief. _I don't know where we'd be without Harry._ It wasn't just the fact that he'd destroyed the most feared Dark Lord in known history roughly a year ago, it was the fact that Hermione couldn't imagine a truer friend. She took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. _Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more._

:-:-:-:-:

If anyone had asked Helen Granger what she was doing in her kitchen, she would have told them that she was making a salad and it would be perfectly true. She would deny, if asked, that she was hiding from the embarrassment of having a drunk wizard in her home and that would be a bald faced lie. _I swear, there must be something wrong with those people. Hermione has managed to learn about their world and doesn't constantly muck up their basic concepts. I'll grant that Hermione is a damn sight more intelligent than most, but this lout doesn't even seem to be making an effort. His father was at least as bad. For someone who claims to be interested in our world he's either thick as a brick sandwich or lying. I know I didn't stutter when I corrected his pronunciation of 'electricity' but he couldn't seem to catch on. He wasn't even consistent in his mistakes._ In the privacy of her own mind Helen could admit that wizarding terminology still confused her as well and that the father might be similarly confused by their world, or she would have if her mind hadn't been busy venting her irritation. _The worst part may be that he was introduced to everyone as Hermione's boyfriend. Penny's never going to let this rest._

Helen's sister Penelope was very focused on status and appearances. Normally Helen could ignore Penny's bragging about how popular her two daughters were, but she didn't think she would be able to ignore her sister's words about Ronald Weasley. _It's really hard to ignore someone you essentially agree with while she's rubbishing your daughter._ For the next few minutes vegetables were cut and shredded with undue vehemence. Once she had the salad arranged Helen looked around her kitchen hoping rather desperately that she could find something else to do. As she cast about, her eyes were drawn out of the window. Just outside her house a motorbike was pulling up. Helen guessed that it might be a classic. _I can at least give the excuse that I was trying to determine if it was one that Richard might be interested in._ Not that Helen's husband was interested in motorbikes in general, but he could appreciate classic cars, bikes, trains… _actually, he likes anything that has a combustion engine and is at least twenty years old._

As she watched the rider pulled something from his jacket pocket and looked at it before looking back up at her house. Apparently satisfied, he then got off and turned off his motor. Despite herself, Helen was getting interested in who this person was and what they were doing here. When he took his helmet off Helen could see that he had black hair. Unfortunately when he went to put his helmet and his leather jacket in his saddlebags Helen could see his arm disappearing up to the shoulder as he rooted around for something else. She could feel her heart lodge around her ankles. _Another one. Hermione did say something about calling in reinforcements, but did she really have to invite another one over?_ While Helen Granger was cursing her luck and her daughter's judgement she had missed the man walking up to her door. The sound of the doorbell ringing brought her out of her thoughts. _Can I get away with ignoring his presence? No, Hermione specifically called him. Drat, drat, drat. Might as well get this over with._

Squaring her shoulders, Helen walked to her front door and opened it. She felt oddly surprised by the fact that the young man in front of her looked... normal. He was wearing a pair of jeans and an untucked black shirt with a purple tie. His trouser legs covered what would appear to be a pair of leather boots. On one wrist sat a watch and on the other a leather bracelet that looked familiar for some reason. She noticed that his eyes had been scanning her as well and Helen even thought that she could see a little relief in them.

"Excuse me, but are you Mrs. Granger? Hermione asked me to come over."

"Yes, I'm Helen Granger."

"A pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Granger. My name is Harry Potter." _Hmph. Well, at least this one has better manners than the other; and he's not drunk as a sailor on shore leave._ Helen took the hand the young man was holding out to her and shook it gingerly.

"Won't you come in?" she asked turning so he could enter. It took some effort to get her manners to work. _I don't care what Hermione thinks, I've yet to see a single one that can actually act like a normal human being._ Shortly after he had stepped through the doorway, Harry turned around to face her and offered what he was holding in his hands.

"This is just a little thank you for your hospitality." he said with a small smile as Helen took the bottle of wine he was holding out to her. She didn't bother to actually look at it. _Teenagers don't have the faintest idea of what constitutes a good bottle of wine anyway. With the way the day's going so far we may just need the extra alcohol though._

"Thank you. Please, follow me." Helen led her unwelcome guest through the house, only pausing in the kitchen to put the bottle on the counter. She showed him through the sliding doors and out into the garden trying to mentally prepare herself for further humiliation. _Might as well get the worst ones over with first._ Helen started leading Harry over to her sister who was standing with the rest of her family.

"Harry!" Helen blinked in surprise at the happy squeal and watched as her daughter physically flung herself at the young man at a dead sprint. Potter just swung her around to dissipate her momentum while she laughed happily. "You're here! Thank you so much for coming." Harry was grinning at her fondly.

"Yeah well, you were practically begging. What was I going to do?" Hermione huffed and slapped his chest without any heat. "You look good, Mi." Helen blinked in surprise when Hermione didn't eviscerate him for shortening her name. Instead she flashed him one of the most beautiful smiles Helen had ever seen on her. _What on earth? Hermione hates having her name shortened, but she didn't even seem to notice._

"Thank you, Harry." Hermione said as she twirled around for him to inspect her outfit from every angle. Helen had to admit that her daughter looked very well put together wearing white capri shorts, a light blue blouse left mostly open over a white tanktop and brown woven leather sandals, belt and bracelet. _Her bracelet! It's just like his. That's where I've seen it before. I think Hermione mentioned that it's a camouflaged way to carry her wand._

"Hermione, darling, who is this?" Helen could hear the unbridled curiosity in her sister's voice. Obviously the teens' joyful reunion had not gone unnoticed and Penny and her family had drifted over.

"Oh. This is Harry Potter my best friend from school. Harry these are my Aunt Penelope, Uncle Eustace and my cousins Veronique and Angelique." _I still don't understand why she chose those names for the poor girls. I suppose she's made it clear enough over the years that she feels the same way about Hermione's name._ Helen's brother-in-law had stepped forward in the meantime and offered his hand.

"Eustace Masterson, MBE." he declared while pumping Potter's hand.

"A pleasure to meet you, sir."

"Now, now, the knighthood's no reason to call me 'sir', lad. Mr. Masterson will do." Eustace responded with his usual enthusiasm for talking about his his Membership of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. _The whole romanticism of chivalry goes down the drain when you realise that he got it for owning the largest pavement producing company in Europe._ Judging by the quickly hidden look of confusion on Harry's face he had simply been polite, rather than trying to use the form of address Eustace had chosen to hear. Helen could see the embarrassed blush taking over Hermione's face. She opened her mouth, no doubt to rubbish her uncle's claim that an MBE came with accolades of knighthood and that he shouldn't be addressed as 'sir' in the first place. She was stopped by Harry grabbing her hand and the two of them sharing a look. As Hermione subsided Penelope took the chance to introduce herself.

"It's nice to meet you as well, Harry. I'm Penelope Masterson, Helen's sister." Their mother had barely stepped out of the way when Veronique and Angelique draped themselves all over the poor boy. _I didn't imagine that I would be feeling sympathy for him when he rang the bell, but dear me, his face looks like it might explode._ Helen wouldn't say it in front of her guests but she didn't really approve of the way her nieces dressed. They each had on a shiny, strapless dress that seemed to have been painted on them to achieve only the bare minimum of coverage that decency required. _It's to that young man's credit that he's not taking advantage of such a blatant opportunity._ What surprised Helen was the barely controlled anger visible on Hermione's face. She poked her daughter in the side and gave her a questioning look. Hermione took a deep breath and shook her head. Helen resolved to simply bring it up later, when they had some privacy and turned her attention back to Harry and her nieces.

"So you go to school with Hermy? She never tells us what it's like." Harry gave a chuckle which actually sounded quite natural despite the lingering discomfort on his face.

"Well, we're not supposed to. Security is pretty strict since there are a lot of students with parents in the government or significant positions in business. We're not supposed to do or say anything that'll make it easier to find. It's really quite amazing that Hermione was offered a spot based on her personal merits." The two girls gaped up at him for a moment before Angelique turned to Hermione.

"Why didn't you ever tell us?"

"Because we're not supposed to." Hermione said, staying just barely on the civil side of snapping. Helen could understand her daughter's tone a little bit. There had been very few family gatherings where the three girls had managed to avoid being at odds and it had usually been Hermione who ended up in tears from her cousins' barbs. _In fact, I'm having trouble remembering a single get together where that didn't happen._

"Harry didn't seem to have a problem telling us."

"Yes, but that's why I'm the one who regularly gets in trouble." Harry jumped back into the conversation. "Hermione's always been less of a headache for our teachers than I was."

"Oh, you don't have to tell us how boring she is, we know." Veronique said dismissively.

"I never said boring." Harry was quick to respond, his eyes alight with mischief. "She just got in less trouble than I did."

"Harry, no one manages to get in your kind of trouble." Hermione said with fond exasperation.

"I suppose, but they made you prefect and Head Girl for a reason." Harry replied easily.

"Mm-hmm. And who did they name Head Boy?"

"I maintain that the Headmistress got her paperwork mixed up, but I'll take the private dorm." Hermione just huffed playfully at Harry's response. Helen could see that not only her nieces, but Eustace and Penelope as well, were seeing Hermione in a whole new light. _I think that I may have to do something nice for that young man. They've been going after Hermione for years and only a few words from him shut them up. If you remember that he's talking about the magical government he's probably not even lying. It doesn't hurt that a good looking boy is paying more attention to Hermione than to Veronique and Angelique for once either._

"Does that mean that Hermione's boyfriend has parents in the government as well?" Penelope asked in a musing tone.

"Ron? Yeah, his dad's one of the most important men in the country. Where is he anyway?" Hermione's face clearly broadcast her embarrassment as she pointed at the fence just beyond where the younger children were playing. The blob of eye-watering orange was hard to miss. "Ah. Of course. I would like to mention that despite sharing a dorm with him for years I still don't understand his fascination with that colour." Veronique and Angelique took the opportunity to giggle loudly and shift up against Harry.

"So what about you? What do your parents do?" Helen could instantly see that this was the wrong question to ask. Harry's eyes grew sad and Hermione looked ready to slap her cousin.

"My parents died when I was very young." Harry admitted in a low voice. "I know that they worked on matters of national security, but pretty much all of the details are still classified." He pulled away from the two girls clinging to him. "I think I should probably go and say hi to Ron." he said by way of excuse as he turned to walk away. As Helen watched him go she felt her heart ache for him. _And how on earth did he change my mind so quickly?_ Helen noticed that Hermione was tensing up to give her cousins a piece of her mind. Luckily Penny was already dragging the girls of for a talk. Eustace excused himself when he realised that he had been left with only Helen and Hermione for company.

"So, want to tell what had you riled this time?" Helen asked Hermione casually.

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"Actually I'll take an explanation for either Harry stopping you from pointing out that Uncle Eustace doesn't rate a 'sir' in the first place or when Angelique and Veronique decided to drape themselves all over Harry."

"Hmph. Harry gets enough of that nonsense in the-... at school. He shouldn't have to put up with it here." _I think that you're not being entirely honest with yourself, dear; unfortunately._ "As for Uncle Eustace, how do you think he would respond to finding out that Harry does have a knighthood?"

"What?" Helen barely managed to keep from yelling out her question. Hermione grinned at her mother.

"Her Majesty created him a Knight Bachelor as it's one of the few honours left that she can bestow at her pleasure."

"I thought you and Harry had that Order of Merlin?"

"He holds the Order of Merlin, First Class, and Ron and I have received Orders of Merlin, Second Class, but Her Majesty felt that Harry had provided services to the realm as a whole and that his reward should reflect that. If it didn't have to go through a committee that isn't allowed to know we exist I'm sure he would have gotten a George Cross." Helen blinked a few times to work through that.

"And why aren't we rubbing Eustace's nose in this?"

"Because Harry refuses to use the prefix most of the time. He hates being the centre of attention."

"Oh well. Let me know if he ever changes his mind. I would love to be there when Eustace and Penny find out." Hermione shot her mother a grin and waded back into the throng of guests eager to tell her how much she had grown since the last time they saw her. _I think I'll go and talk to Richard for a moment. He could probably do with a warning that we have a normal wizard in our midst._

:-:-:-:-:

"So, is that black-haired young man your beau?" yet another neighbour asked. Hermione fought to keep from rolling her eyes. _Why are they all asking that? It's not enough that all of magical Britain seems to want to think that Harry and I are secretly dating, my muggle neighbours have to get in on the act as well?_

"No, Mrs. Wellbeck. I'm actually going out with Ron, the redhead next to him." Mrs. Wellbeck actually looked mildly offended at her answer. _It could just be down to Ron's suit._

"Well, you'd know them best I suppose, dear." Mrs. Wellbeck's tone of voice clearly indicated her opinion of Hermione's judgement though. When Mrs. Wellbeck left, Hermione was about ready to scream. _I think I need to spend some time with people who don't constantly tell me I should be dating Harry._ Hermione quickly scanned the crowd and saw her targets heading towards the barbecue where her father and some of the other men were talking over beers while keeping an eye on the grilling meat. _Oh dear, I hope that Harry'll be able to help Ron improve on the impression he's made so far._ Hermione hurried over to add her own support to that goal.

"I'm telling you Arsenal are a cert for the title!" she heard one of the men proclaiming. "Wenger's got 'em purring along like nobody's business." _Great. If it's not Quidditch, it's football._

"I don't know. I like the look of Chelsea to finish strong." one of the others said. "What about you, lads? Who do you fancy to win the league?" Hermione was horrified to realise that the friendly neighbour was trying to draw her two friends into the conversation.

"Chudley'sh g'nna winnit f'sure thish year." Ron slurred happily at the man who blinked in confusion.

"Sorry about that. Ron's pretty taken with his local team and focuses a lot more on their league than the top flight." Harry cut in seamlessly. Hermione was surprised to see the men around her friend nod in understanding.

"What about you then?"

"I think that Man United will be eager to pay Arsenal back for what happened last year and you can never rule out a team under Ferguson."

"Hah. Too right you are. Won four of the last five titles, didn't they? They've invested something fierce after last year too and I like their front two." _Harry knows enough about football to talk with this lot? How did this happen?_ "Fancy a beer, lad?"

"Yesh!" Ron responded enthusiastically enough that he unbalanced himself. He would have probably landed on the barbecue if Harry's hand hadn't shot out and dragged him back by the collar.

"No thank you, sir. Ron here's had enough and I still have to drive home tonight." Harry responded pleasantly to a strong nod from the man who had offered.

"Good to see a young man using his head like that, son."

"What do you drive?" another interrupted with a look in his eye that reminded Hermione of Ron talking about Quidditch.

"A Triumph Bonneville, sir." The man looked impressed.

"A classic bike, lad. You've got good taste. Who're you here with then?"

"Hermione invited me, sir."

"Ah, you're the boyfriend!" another of the men exclaimed with glee. Harry's face changed slightly into something Hermione couldn't quite read. _He's probably just as tired of hearing that as I am._

"Actually, sir, I'm just the best friend. Ron here is the boyfriend." Hermione suddenly noticed that her father was starting to scowl and he turned some of the burgers on the grill with more force than strictly necessary. _Time to intervene I think._

"Harry! Ron!" she called out as she quickly made her way over from where she had been listening. _It's not really eavesdropping if they're having a conversation out in the open, now is it?_ "How are you two enjoying yourselves so far?" Harry looked over at her and gave her a lopsided smile.

"It's great, Mi. I can certainly see why the neighbourhood keeps this tradition alive." Hermione noticed the proud smiles on the faces of the men surrounding them even if Harry probably missed them with the direction he was looking in.

"Hermsh! Cou-...couldn't get'sh a Butterbeer, could ya?" Ron called out with what was probably supposed to be a winning smile. _At least he's a happy drunk. It's a good thing that the others all think he's simply talking nonsense because of the alcohol._

"I think you've had enough, Ron."

"Datsh wha' 'Arry keepsh shaying, but I'm shtill thirshty. Hungry too. Oi, Dick! Whensh food?" Hermione could see her father stiffening in rage as he whirled around and she decided to try and save her boyfriend. She shot Harry a desperate look as she started tugging Ron away from the group. Thankfully Harry seemed to understand her and started trying to distract the men around them by asking them what they thought of the situation in Yugoslavia. Thankfully two or three seemed to be willing to help or at least took the bait and drew the rest of the group into a discussion about the unstable country. Hermione dragged Ron towards the pool since that was where the lowest concentration of people was. When she was as far away from everyone as she could get without leaving completely she whirled around to face her boyfriend.

"What was that?!" she hissed at him. "Did you already forget how angry Dad got the last time you shortened his name to 'Dick'? He can barely tolerate you calling him 'Richard'. Why would you actively try to antagonise him?"

"Who caresh? If he'sh dat mad jush 'bliviate him."

"Ron! We are not Obliviating my father if you annoy him. What possessed you to show up here drunk and why couldn't you just wear the suit Harry loaned you?"

"I'm not drunk." Ron proclaimed indignantly as he swayed on the spot. "An' dish ish 'Arry'sh suit."

"Somehow I don't believe that Harry owns a suit in those colours any more than I believe you're sober."

"Well, de suit wash boring sho I fixed it." Hermione closed her eyes as she tried to fight of the urge to scream at Ron. _Well, I need to at least not scream anything about magic._ When she opened them she could see Harry was making his way over to them with a worried look on his face. _If anyone can spot one of our arguments coming, it'd be Harry._ Hermione's attention was drawn back to Ron when she heard a small voice call out.

"Tag! You're it!"

:-:-:-:-:

"So, Helen, have you met any other parents from Hermione's school?" Helen had to restrain a sigh. She had gotten caught up in conversations with several neighbours who wanted to know who the new arrival at the party was. _Harry is really helping Hermione with her reputation in the neighbourhood, just by being here and not looking like a recently fired circus-clown._ Unfortunately she had forgotten all about her salad until Bertrand O'Connor had started asking about vegetarian options while his wife was trying to find gossip on Harry. Helen had quickly excused herself and headed into the house to not only grab the salad, but also the various sauces that would be expected to be present at a barbecue. Unfortunately for Helen, her sister had decided that this was the perfect time to have a private conversation. _I don't know how I didn't see this coming._

"Some of them. Ron's parents of course and a few others when we pick Hermione up from the train." Penny's brow furrowed.

"Isn't it a bit risky to have children taking the train up to Scotland? What happens if one of them gets lost?"

"I believe the train goes directly up to the town the school is in and only the students can get on." As soon as she finished speaking Helen understood her mistake.

"The school has a train all to themselves?" Penny's wildest dreams and hopes seemed realised about Hermione's school. "That's very impressive. What do you know about this Harry?" _And there we go: the real reason she's followed me in here._

"I know he's been Hermione's best friend at school since they were eleven. Apparently he came to find her after a bully told her something hurtful and stopped another bully from making it worse. He's a talented athlete, Head Boy, his marks are good and he's generally admired from what Hermione tells me." _Now just don't ask me what he's admired for or what sport he's so good at._

"Sounds like a wonderful young man. I suppose he has a girlfriend?"

"You'd have to ask Hermione. I don't really keep up on her friends' love lives."

"Of course not, dear. It's a shame she chose the other one though isn't it?" Helen knew that tone of voice. It was the tone Penny used whenever she thought she was getting one over on her sister. Combined with the direction the questioning had taken Helen was sure one of her nieces would be all over Harry before the end of the night. She very carefully said nothing to Penny's taunts. _It_ would _be nice if she'd chosen Harry instead of that other one._

"Penelope, do you think you could do me favour and carry the sauces out?" Helen asked as she picked up the salad. Her sister nodded and moved into the kitchen to collect the bottles from the counter. Helen heard a gasp and turned around to find Penelope staring at the bottle of wine Harry had brought along.

"H-helen? Where did you get a 1961 Petrus?" Penny asked in a trembling voice.

"A what?" Penelope shot Helen a glare and stabbed her finger at the wine.

"Oh that. Harry brought it as a token of his appreciation of our hospitality." Penny looked ready to faint.

"He just gives away £5000 bottles of wine? How rich is this boy?" _What now?! £5000?_ Helen saw something harden in her sister's face. Penny quickly gathered the bottles of sauce, shot the wine one last look and hurried out of the kitchen. Helen followed her with the salad and had barely made it out the doors when she saw Penny already walking away from the table and towards Veronique and Angelique. _I'm sorry, Harry. Nothing's going to stop them now._

Helen set the salad bowl down and arranged the sauce bottles neatly before stepping back and deciding that this would do. Her brow frowned when raised voices drew her attention. The source was quickly located. Over by the swimming pool Hermione looked to be locked in an argument with her boyfriend. _About time. I was wondering how long she was going to put up with his atrocious behaviour._ Most of their guests seemed to have noticed the argument as well and one of them was even moving over to them. _Oh, please don't stop them, Harry. This could be just what Hermione needs._ Helen heard the lull in the argument and saw Hermione looking around. _Probably just realised that she's airing her dirty laundry for everyone to enjoy._ Into the sudden silence everyone heard a clear, childlike voice.

"Tag! You're it." Little Kelly Miller lived across the street from the Grangers with her mother Shannon. Whoever the father was had left them before Kelly had been born and Helen had played babysitter on occasion when she had a day off from the practice and Shannon had to travel for her own job as a photographer. The four-year-old had just tagged Hermione's boyfriend and was now running away laughing. Helen saw Weasley lunge forward to give chase. He hadn't taken three steps before he either dove for Kelly or simply lost his balance. Either way the result was the same. Weasley hit Kelly with enough force that the little girl was flung out into the pool. Kelly's scream of terror was cut off by her sudden contact with the still very cold water of the pool.

Everyone froze where they were as they tried to come to grips with what they had just seen; everyone except one person. Harry Potter had changed his hurried walk into a flat out sprint the moment he'd seen Weasley make contact with Kelly. When he reached the edge of the pool he didn't hesitate but jumped straight in. The splash of a second body hitting the water within seconds brought people out of their stupor and started a rush for the pool. Harry had popped back up with a loudly crying Kelly in his arms before anyone got near to them. Helen noticed that Harry's right arm was moving behind the little girl's back. _He must be using magic to make sure she's alright. I hope he doesn't get caught for doing the right thing._ By the time they had reached the pool Harry had turned around and there was no sign of a wand anywhere. Helen could see Kelly's arms wrapped tightly around Harry's neck. Harry was rubbing the girl's back as he carried her to the side of the pool, whispering in her ear. Kelly's sobs were slowly calming down to hiccuping sniffles.

"Oh my god. Oh my god. Kelly! Is she alright?!" Helen realised that she was standing next to a hyperventilating Shannon. Harry's eyes found them and he gave a slight nod without breaking the stream of comforting words he was saying to Kelly. Helen found herself supporting a profoundly relieved Shannon as they watched Harry try to lift Kelly out of the water. He was having some trouble as she was not letting go of his neck. Harry stopped trying and simply put his free hand on the side of the pool and with a powerful jump and a twist was sitting with only his legs dangling in the pool. From there he managed to scramble up somehow while still keeping a close hold of Kelly. He made his way over to where Helen and Shannon were standing as applause broke out among the neighbours. It turned out that even handing Kelly off to her mother was a bit of an undertaking. The four year-old seemed to want to hold on to both her mother and her rescuer. Shannon took advantage of the transfer to hug Harry as hard as she could with one hand. "Thank you. Thank you so much."

"It's alright, ma'am. I just happened to get there first." Harry was looking awkward under all the attention he was getting. Shannon responded by giving him a kiss on the cheek which saw Harry blushing up a storm. _Heh. I wonder if Hermione's ever teased him about how shy he is?_ Eventually Shannon managed to step back with Kelly in her arms.

"I'm sorry, Helen, but I'm going to have to go home and get Kelly into some dry clothes."

"Of course, Shannon. We'll make sure to save some food. I'll bring it over if you and Kelly decide to stay in." Helen's voice was filled with understanding. _I would have been in a blind panic if it had been Hermione at that age._ Shannon turned around and made her way out of the Grangers' garden through the side gate. Helen turned back to Harry. "We should get you showered too, Harry. You can borrow some of Richard's clothes for now and I'll give yours a wash."

"Thank you, Mrs. Granger." he responded. Helen just smiled and started leading him towards the house.

"Harry! You were- aaahhh!" Helen whipped around just in time to see Angelique falling forward with a gleam in her eye. Harry tried to catch her, but was unable to stop her from grabbing his shirt on either side of the buttons. Angelique's momentum caused the shirt to rip open more than halfway as she fell into Harry's arms. Helen felt a wave of embarrassment hit her. _There's no way that wasn't on purpose._ Surprisingly Angelique recoiled almost as soon as she touched Harry's chest.

"Eeeww! Oh god, that's disgusting!" Helen picked out what she was referring to rather easily. Harry's torso was covered with scars. "I guess that explains why Hermy went for the idiot instead." Disgust dripped from every syllable. Harry's face was twisted into an expression of deep shame as he pulled the sides of his shirt closed with his hands and seemed to shrink in on himself. Helen was about to let fly a reprimand at her niece but never got the chance as Hermione seemed to appear from nowhere and slapped her cousin hard enough to knock her back a step.

"How dare you?!" Helen had never heard such unbridled fury in Hermione's voice. "You miserable bitch! Harry's the kindest, bravest, most selfless man I know and you think that he's not good enough for you because of some scars?! I always knew you were a shallow, little cesspool of a human being, but this takes the cake! I hope you die unloved and alone like you deserve!" Helen watched her daughter standing in front of Harry, her chest heaving with the exertion of screaming at a now white-faced Angelique. _I'm going to have the world's wartiest toad for a niece, I just know it._ Helen managed to catch Penny's eye and with a curt head movement managed to make her suggestion clear. Penny nodded and grabbed Angelique pulling her away from a crowd that was murmuring a general agreement with Hermione.

"Come on, girls. It's time we were going. It's a long drive home." Angelique was still looking a little shell-shocked as Penny pulled her towards the house. Veronique was already hurrying after them while Eustace said some rather quick goodbyes. _It might be a poor thing to think of my own family, but dinner is going to be so much more pleasant like this. Well, if we can get Harry dry and smiling again at least._ Hermione had turned around and seemed to be asking Harry if he was alright, but it was a bit too soft for Helen to make out. Whatever Hermione was saying, she was soon interrupted.

"Oi! Where d'you get off shaying dat 'bout 'Arry?" Helen didn't like the look in Weasley's eyes. She could see anger warring with jealousy and it seemed to be directed at Hermione. "Talkin' like dat 'bout a man who'sh not your boyfriend makesh you look like a whore." There were sounds of outrage from the assembled neighbours; Hermione was ready to defend herself though.

"I only said what was true. Harry doesn't deserve to be treated like that after rescuing a little girl that _you_ threw into a pool. That does _not_ make me a whore." she snarled out in a scathing tone.

"Shut up! You shouldn't be talking to me like that."

"I'll talk to you as I please!"

"The hell you will!" Weasley was raising an arm with a clear goal in mind. Helen felt horror wash over her and moved forward in a desperate attempt to stop him from hitting her baby girl. Once again she was preempted, this time by Harry Potter's fist striking Weasley on the jaw hard enough to drop the drunk redhead like a sack of potatoes. A sudden hush fell over the group. Seeing an angry Harry Potter standing over a downed man, his torn shirt forgotten and his scars on display for all to see, made Helen very aware of the fact that this man had apparently ended a civil war nearly single-handedly. _And for once I don't think that Hermione was exaggerating when she told me that._

Helen could see the moment Harry realised that he had once again become the centre of attention as his shoulders hunched and he grabbed his shirt to keep it closed again. It brought a reaction from Hermione who gently placed a hand on his arm. The two teens locked eyes and something passed between them that Helen couldn't quite understand. It ended with Harry relaxing just a little and Hermione smiling a little sadly. _Annoying though it is to admit Penny is right about anything, it really is a shame that Hermione chose the other one._ Helen watched as Harry crouched down next to Weasley and peeled back an eyelid.

"He's going to be out of it for a while. I'll call the school's chauffeur service and ask them to pick him up." Harry said with a sigh. Grabbing one of Weasley's arms Harry hauled him over his shoulders in a fireman's carry. "Excuse me." he said politely to the small crowd around them and started walking back to the house.

"Wait, Harry! I'll get you some towels and you can ask the service to bring you something to wear." _Harry's definitely the better of the two at making up cover stories._ Hermione darted into the house ahead of the two boys. Slowly the tension seemed to ebb out of the air. Helen could see parents talking to the younger children, especially the ones about Kelly's age. Other adults were clearly discussing what had just happened. Helen was happy to hear that no one seemed to blame Harry for his actions and that Hermione was only blamed for having a poor taste in men. _Maybe we can salvage this barbecue yet._

"Sh- I mean: Oh no! The meat!" Richard's cry drew her attention to the barbecue and the thoroughly charred pieces of meat lying on the grill. _Or not. Thank heavens we thought to buy some extra meat just in case._ As Richard went to salvage what he could at the grill, Helen started directing people towards the table. _We can get started on the salads and the bread while Richard grills the spare stuff._ The speed with which people settled at the table made Emma suspect that she had correctly estimated how hungry they would be by now. The children were gathered at one end of the table while the adults gathered at the other. Helen was about to sit down herself when she saw Hermione coming out of the house with a preoccupied look on her face.

"How's Harry doing, dear?" Helen asked.

"Hm? Oh, he's fine. We put Ron in the guest room for now and Harry's taking a quick shower while they wait for the service to come pick Ron up. There was a car at Gatwick, so if they manage to find him some clothes quickly at one of the stores there, they should be here in about half an hour to forty-five minutes." _Of course, she can't tell me what's really happening. I wonder if she came up with that explanation on her own or with Harry's help? Doesn't really matter either way I suppose._ Around her Helen could hear whispered speculation about who that car might have been dropping off. _I doubt anyone will question Hermione's education anymore after today._ Helen couldn't help but feel some relief as it had been difficult through the years to not be able to tell people about her daughter's academic achievements. Harry and Hermione had given her a ready made excuse for why she couldn't go into greater detail on what Hermione was doing that would even extend to her professional life if it became necessary.

"Well, sit down and Harry can join us when he gets changed." Hermione sat down and Helen couldn't help but notice that her guests had left two places open next to each other for Hermione and Harry. _Which is quite something considering how interested everyone suddenly is in the lad._ Richard was soon bringing the first plates of meat to the table. Their guests had clearly worked up an appetite with all the excitement earlier and the grill was having trouble keeping up with demand. Richard's second visit to the table coincided with the garden gate opening and the Miller girls returning. There were cries of welcome from several of the people there. Helen got up to greet the pair. She could already see Kelly looking around eagerly, her little face slowly slipping into disappointment.

"Shannon, Kelly, I was worried you wouldn't want to come back after what happened." Shannon gave her a tired smile.

"Oh no, you wouldn't believe how motivated Kelly was to shower and get changed so she could see Harry again." Kelly was definitely looking disappointed now so Helen turned her next words to the little girl.

"Don't worry, Kelly. He's just babysitting the naughty boy who knocked you into the water until he gets picked up. Once that boy's gone and Harry's put on some dry clothes he'll be right back."

"'kay." came the morose answer. Shannon shot Helen an apologetic look and got an understanding smile in return. _Heaven knows Hermione had some moods around that age._ Helen led them back to the table and found Shannon sitting down beside her with Kelly on her other side. _Poor Richard. At this rate he's going to have to sit at the kiddie table._ Conversation flowed easily around the table as the neighbourhood ate together. There was laughter involved in a lot of the conversations, much to Helen's relief. _I still don't know if I'd class this barbecue as a success, but at least people are enjoying themselves._ After a while Helen noticed that conversations seemed to be abruptly stopping and looked around to find the cause. She easily identified it as Harry walking towards them from the house. He was wearing a black suit and a crisp white shirt that looked like they might have been tailored to fit him. _Oh my. That's quite the impression to make._ While the adults were busy staring, and trying to guess where Harry might have bought that suit, one little body was hurtling towards him at high speed.

"You're here!" Kelly squealed as she hit Harry around the knees with a tight hug. Helen couldn't quite stop a grin as she saw him fling his arms out to preserve his balance.

"Hello, Kelly. Are you feeling alright?" Harry asked once he'd identified his assailant.

"You know my name?" Kelly gasped.

"I do." By this time Hermione had also made her way over.

"Don't be rude, Harry. Introduce yourself." Helen could hear the teasing tone from where she was sitting at the table.

"Oh, of course. My name is Harry Potter, my lady. It is a pleasure to meet you." Harry spoke in exaggerated tones while bowing deeply and kissing a giggling Kelly's hand.

"Come on. We should still have some meat left, unless you feel like a vegetarian meal today?" Hermione smiled at her friend. Harry nodded and started walking towards the table. Kelly had immediately grabbed on to his hand and was skipping along beside him. Harry just smiled at her and started heading towards the kiddie table when she pulled on the hand she was holding.

"I'm sitting with Mummy." she told Harry seriously who nodded back gravely and turned back to his original destination. He dropped Kelly off with Shannon who took the opportunity to thank him again. Harry just waved her off and told her again that he had simply been the first one to get there. Helen watched as Harry walked around the table and sat down next to Hermione without even considering any other spots. He was sitting for less than a minute when Kelly crawled under the table and clambered into his lap.

"Kelly, stop bothering Harry and let him eat." Shannon scolded her daughter in exasperation.

"But I wanna sit with Harry." Kelly pouted. Helen made sure to cover her smile, while Hermione made no effort to hide her amusement.

"It's fine, ma'am." Harry said softly. "Kelly and I can share." Kelly beamed up at him while Shannon looked torn between relief and frustration; Helen could empathise. Harry both prevented an argument and undercut her authority. _It shouldn't matter for this one time though._ Apparently Shannon had reached the same conclusion as Helen saw the tension leave her shoulders.

"Call me 'Shannon', Harry."

"Alright, Shannon." Harry answered with a shy smile.

"I have to ask, Harry: where did you buy that suit?" Helen felt herself blanch at Shannon's innocent question. _Please have an answer for that Harry._

"I have no idea actually. One of the chauffeurs from the service associated with our school bought this for me. I told them that it was a casual occasion, but some of the chauffeurs have strange ideas about what constitutes appropriate clothing. This one just left out the tie." Harry actually sounded embarrassed that he was so overdressed. _Which makes no sense. He must have used magic of some sort, so how is it that he didn't choose his own...it's part of the ruse! Damn, he is good. If this is what the 'chauffeurs' think students at that school mean when they say casual...I am impressed._

"Well if they have to buy clothes for that other boy, I can understand that." Shannon said shaking her head. Conversation was interrupted for a moment when a plate was put in front of Harry with a relatively large steak on it.

"The Hero's Portion, lad." Richard proclaimed with a grin. Helen almost groaned at her husband's love for Irish mythology. _Trust Richard to inflict his tastes on everyone like this._ Hermione looked a little uncomfortable as well. Harry just looked confused and Helen doubted that he was alone in that sentiment. Harry apparently decided not to make an issue of Richard's strange proclamation and simply thanked him. "I don't think we've been properly introduced yet. Richard Granger."

"Harry Potter. A pleasure to meet you, sir." Harry shook Richard's hand and Richard gave Harry an approving nod before heading back over to the grill.

"Harry, you should have some salad as well." Hermione said passing him one of the bowls.

"Eww. Salads are yucky." Kelly broke in. Harry considered the little girl in his lap for a moment.

"Hermione, could you pass the cucumber and the tomatoes?" Hermione looked at Harry and then Kelly before nodding and passing Harry a bowl of cherry tomatoes and some cucumber slices. Harry loaded several of each onto his plate before picking up two cucumber slices and offering one to Kelly.

"No. Green things are yucky." Kelly said as she turned her nose up at the slice of cucumber.

"But you said we'd share." Harry said sounding a little sad. "Are you going to make me eat the green things all by myself?" Kelly seemed to waver at that argument. Finally she snatched the cucumber from Harry's hand and stuffed it in her mouth. Harry just smiled and ate his own slice. Next came a cherry tomato that Kelly ate just as quickly and with the same grimace.

"Do you not like red things either, Kelly?" Harry asked sounding concerned. Kelly had to think about that one for a moment.

"Red things aren't so bad." she allowed carefully. Harry nodded in understanding and handed her another tomato while taking one for himself. Next he started cutting up his steak. He carefully shared bites of his meat with Kelly as well. As the two worked their way through the plate Helen heard a soft clicking noise next to her. A quick look confirmed that Shannon had brought her camera along.

"What?" Shannon asked a little defensively. "I've never seen her eat her vegetables like this. Usually it's a fight to get her to eat a leaf of lettuce." Helen just smiled and held up her hands in surrender. Across from them Kelly was frowning at Harry's empty plate in consternation.

"Now we can't share anymore." she pouted. Harry just winked at her and quickly put some more cucumber and tomatoes on his plate. Kelly happily started sharing out the new food. It wasn't until she had handed Harry several things that she noticed that he had slipped in some carrot sticks this time. She only hesitated for a moment before handing Harry one and taking one of her own gingerly. The carrot was clearly not as well liked as the rest of the food she had eaten. "Carrots are yucky too." Kelly proclaimed after swallowing.

"That's too bad. I hoped you might like them because they're friendship food."

"Friendship food?" Kelly asked a little suspiciously. Harry nodded and picked up another carrot stick and held it out to Hermione. Hermione cocked an eyebrow at her friend but took hold of the bit of carrot anyway. The moment she had a hold of it Harry snapped it with a quick move. The two friends smiled at each other and ate their bits of carrot at the same time.

"See?" Harry asked Kelly. Kelly seemed to be deep in thought for a moment before she grabbed another carrot stick and held it out to Harry. Harry smiled at her and repeated the ritual he and Hermione had just demonstrated. Helen noticed that Shannon was outright gaping at the spectacle in front of her. Many of the rest of the guests had caught on to what was happening. There was a multitude of indulgent smiles directed at Harry, Hermione and Kelly. Once the plate was empty again Harry and Hermione leant back while Kelly curled up on Harry's lap almost like a cat. The two teens managed to split their attention between the adults surrounding them and Kelly and Helen watched with pride as Hermione charmed the neighbours. _And without using a wand._ The evening progressed easily and happily. Helen kept half an eye on Hermione the whole time, grateful to be able to observe her daughter like this for once. _She seems happy. That's all I ever really hoped for._

"Helen, I think I should get Kelly home. Poor Harry's been turned into a bed." Helen looked over at Shannon's words and sure enough Harry was talking quietly with Hermione while he kept one arm wrapped around Kelly who was sleeping against his chest.

"He doesn't seem to mind." Helen answered with a smile. "Looking at them kind of makes me want to get my own camera."

"I'll get you an extra print." Shannon assured her. The two mothers got up and walked around the table to the teens. Shannon leant over them and brushed some of her daughter's hair back. "I need to get this little one to her bed. I want to thank you again, Harry. Not just for the incident with the pool." Harry's mouth closed as he had been about to refute that he had done anything worth thanking. "You didn't have to put up with her like you did for the rest of the night. It made me feel very happy watching you with my daughter."

"It was no problem, Shannon. Kelly's a sweet little girl." Harry answered with a fond smile at the little bundle in his lap.

"I think so too." Shannon said softly before leaning over and gathering her daughter in her arms. Kelly gave out a little moan as she cuddled into her mother, but didn't wake. "We'd both be happy if you would visit some time." Shannon said before pressing a quick kiss to Harry's cheek which clearly took him by surprise. "Goodbye." Shannon's departure was the signal for a lot of other parents to take their children home as well. Helen was happy that everyone seemed pleased with the way the barbecue had turned out. It didn't take long for all the neighbours to disperse and Helen was left with her husband, her daughter and a young man who wasn't her daughter's boyfriend.

"Would you like some help clearing up?" Harry asked them.

"It's sweet of you to offer, but that won't be necessary." Helen assured him.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, Harry." Hermione said in a tone of someone who had known this discussion was coming.

"If you don't need me to help you clear up I'll just get out of your hair." Hermione slipped an arm through Harry's.

"Come on, let's show Dad your motorbike. He likes the old ones." she said as she started pulling Harry around to the front of the house.

"That's right. You mentioned that you had a Triumph." Richard broke in looking eager. Helen followed them shaking her head in amusement.

"Yes, sir. It's just out front."

"Do you think I could have a go on it?"

"I think that we may want to wait until I have my broom close to hand."

"Your broom?"

"The bike can fly and I don't want something to happen to you if you hit the wrong button. If I have my broom I can fly alongside you."

"Ah. So when do you think we can do that?"

"Richard! I thought you said that it was almost criminal to tamper with old bikes and cars because they are 'marvels of engineering'?" Richard shot her look that told Helen that this was something she was destined to never understand.

"Yes, but this is a marvel of engineering _and_ a marvel of enchanting." Helen saw Harry nodding to Richard's proclamation and decided that this wasn't worth getting in an argument over. Harry patiently explained the specifications of his bike to Richard as he oo-ed and ah-ed over it. Eventually Richard managed to get his enthusiasm back under control and stepped back from the bike. He held out his hand to Harry. "It was good of you to come today, Harry. I hope we'll see you again some time." Harry gripped Richard's hand.

"It was wonderful of you to have me and I think I'd like that, sir." Helen was next and pulled Harry into a hug.

"I quite agree, it was a pleasure to have you here." Helen noticed that Harry seemed a little uncomfortable and let him go.

"Thank you, ma'am." Finally it was Hermione's turn to say goodbye. She threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly.

"Thank you so much for coming. You really saved the day." _Harry certainly doesn't seem to mind being hugged by Hermione_ , Helen thought to herself with wry amusement.

"I think I owed you this much at least." Harry told her. Hermione snorted at that but let it go. She gave Harry a quick kiss on the cheek.

"I'll call you on the mirrors tomorrow?"

"Sure. I'll be at Andi's again tomorrow and I'm sure that Teddy would be happy to talk to you."

"I'll bet. Thank you again, Harry. You really are a great friend." Harry seemed stuck for anything to say and simply mounted his bike. The helmet and leather jacket were taken out of the impossible saddlebags again. Harry carefully put on his safety gear and, with a final wave to the Grangers, drove away from the house and out of sight.

"Right, let's get to it then." Helen said briskly after Harry had disappeared from view. "If we clear up now we won't have a mess to deal with tomorrow."

"Agreed. Afterwards I vote we have a nice cup of tea and a...discussion." _Judging by the way Hermione's face just went carefully neutral she's guessed the topic of the discussion Richard wants to have._ The family walked back into their garden with the youngest dragging her feet.

* * *

 **AN:** This was planned as a one-shot, but it became just slightly longer than is comfortable on a single scrollbar. The rest of the story will be shown in chapter two.

"Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more." Is the start of King Henry's famous rallying speech in Shakepeare's Henry V.

A Knight Bachelor is the lowest knightly rank (meaning the lowest rank that is allowed to style themselves 'sir') and is not part of any Chivalric Order. It still outranks the non-knightly ranks of the Chivalric Orders though. It's the oldest from of knighthood in Britain dating back to the 13th century.

For those of you wondering: the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia had started breaking up in the early nineties, but the resulting wars were still raging and would for more than a year. Harry is referring to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia which NATO had started bombing the week before as part of it's intervention in the Kosovo War which would last until the summer of 2000.

The Hero's Portion, or _Curadmir_ , is a tradition found in Irish mythology. The largest and best cut of meat is given to the bravest and greatest warrior at the feast. It was an honour that was fought and killed over.

As always thank you for reading.

 **Update:** Thanks to some reviewers I noticed that the italics in my piece hadn't made it through the upload process. Hopefully got all of them now.


	2. Chapter 2

Hermione was taking full advantage of her ability to cast a Warming Charm and was swimming in the pool at her parents' house. Part of the reason she was doing so was the fact that there was a pool available at all and she loved to swim. An altogether larger part of the reason was to get rid of some stress through exercise. After the neighbourhood barbecue last night her parents hadn't been shy about telling her their opinions of her boyfriend. Hermione had tried to defend Ron's behaviour and that had only made matters worse. _Honestly, he was only drunk because he was nervous to meet them. They would have been nervous if they had been dating squibs and had to meet their magical parents. Yes, his behaviour was atrocious, but there were clear reasons for that._ Hermione had been forced to admit that she too had been embarrassed by her boyfriend's antics and that she hadn't exactly condoned them. She had been the one to call for help in corralling Ron in the first place, after all. _I don't know which hurt more: Mum's question of why I couldn't be dating Harry instead or Dad's point about a relationship with Ron being guaranteed to turn abusive._

 _"He raised his hand to hit you and would have if Harry hadn't stopped him. If he did it once, he'll do it again and being drunk in no way makes it better. I will not approve of a relationship that is going to end with you battered and broken in a few years."_ Hermione heard her father's words ringing through her mind for the umpteenth time. _They just don't understand how strong our friendship is after all we've been through. Ron wouldn't really have hit me; would he?_ In the end that was the cause of all her stress. Hermione couldn't manage to reconcile what she had seen from Ron last night with the man she knew he could be. Her parents unequivocally condemning her relationship with him hurt too. They hadn't come right out and told her to break up with him, but if she had pushed the matter Hermione was fairly sure that they would have. Hermione furiously increased her stroke count as frustration welled up at the memory.

"Oh no! Mummy, Hermione fell in the water!" Hermione stopped mid stroke in surprise at the sudden interruption. Looking around she quickly saw Kelly Miller looking at her in horror. An open side gate explained how the four year-old had gotten into her garden. As Hermione was watching Shannon came running through the gate. Hermione could see the other woman's surprise at finding her in the pool in just a bathing suit in late March.

"Goodness, Hermione. Aren't you freezing?"

"I'm fine, Shannon." Hermione said, deciding that ignoring the visitors in favour of swimming more laps would be rude. She made her way towards the pool ladder and climbed out. "It's a bit warmer than I might have expected." _Because I used magic._ Shannon gave her an odd look before turning towards Kelly.

"As for you, young lady, we do not run into other people's gardens like that. Next time knock or ring the bell, understand?"

"Yes, Mummy." Kelly said before eagerly spinning back around to Hermione who was toweling off. "Is Harry here today?"

"I'm sorry, Kelly. He isn't." Hermione had to fight down a smile at the devastation on the young girl's face. _Yeah, I remember what it's like to have Harry Potter come to the rescue. I wanted to spend the day with him afterward as well._

"Why not?"

"Harry's spending the day with his godson, Teddy." Hermione could see that the news that Harry was already a godfather shocked Shannon and Kelly didn't look too happy with it either. _I think I'd better keep the fact that we lost Remus and Tonks to myself. Neither of them looks like they could handle the fact that Harry is responsible for Teddy to the extent that he is._

"Is he coming back soon?"

"I don't know, sweetheart. I'll call him up later and ask, okay?" Clearly it only barely met Kelly's standards for 'okay', but she nodded anyway. Shannon was looking a bit embarrassed.

"Come on then, Kelly. We should let Hermione get back to her swimming." Kelly gave a nod at her mother's words and took her hand. "I'm sorry for disturbing you, Hermione."

"It's fine. I should probably get out of the water anyway." _Before my Warming Charm expires._ "I'll let you know if Harry can come over, alright?" Kelly just nodded glumly while Shannon said their goodbyes. Hermione waved to them as they left the garden, Shannon pulling the side gate demonstratively shut. Once they were gone Hermione let out a sigh. _I should probably call Harry anyway. I did say that I would and it'll be nice to see Teddy again, even if it's just over the mirrors._ Hermione walked into the house, her thoughts full of images of Harry playing with Teddy. _He's so good with that boy. After how he handled Kelly yesterday I think we can safely say that Harry Potter is going to be an amazing father one of these days._

Hermione took a quick shower and got dressed before she got her mirror to call Harry; it wouldn't do to call him wearing just a swimsuit, after all. She settled down comfortably on her bed, leaning back against the headboard before she said "Harry Potter." into the mirror.

"Hey, Teddy, look. It's Auntie Mi calling us on the mirror." Hermione was faced with a slightly wobbly image of her best friend trying to balance an excited toddler on his lap and a mirror in his other hand. Once he got it stabilized she could focus on the happy babbling coming up at her from one pair of bright green eyes.

"Hello, Teddy. Are you looking like your Uncle Harry today?" More happy babbling before Teddy's black hair shifted to brown curls that she could recognise anywhere as her own. Less familiar was the lurch in her chest as she saw Teddy looking like he was her and Harry's son.

"Nice hair, buddy." she heard Harry say with a laugh. _Focus, Granger. I can't let him see me get flustered like this; I have no idea how I would explain it._ In fact Hermione was barely willing to even think about some of the points her mother had raised in their discussion last night and certainly wasn't ready to be adding to that tally.

"I was never all that fond of it to be honest."

"And I never understood that. I've always thought it suited you." _Please stop adding things to the list of reasons my mother would give of why I should date you._ "Anyway, how're you holding up today? You seem to have finished cleaning earlier than I expected."

"We finished that last night. Mum and Dad saw reason and let me use some magic to speed things along."

"And yet you don't seem particularly happy."

"I-… they don't like Ron."

"Ah." Harry had clearly decided not to get involved in that bramble of a problem. _I can't really say that I blame him, but I could use some support on this one._ Hermione mentally shook herself and changed the subject.

"Kelly was over this morning asking for you."

"She was?" Harry looked a little bewildered by that.

"I'll admit that I personally think that the troll was a little more impressive, but you still rescued her, Harry. Do you have some time this week to come over and make a little girl very happy?" Harry seemed to consider it for a moment.

"I suppose we could take a trip to the zoo or something. I took Teddy the other day and he seemed to enjoy it, didn't you?"

"Yah!" Teddy yelled up at the mirror.

"Wow. Is that his first word?"

"Nah. His first word was 'nana'. Andi was right proud of him." Hermione smiled as Harry's tone of voice suggested that Andi might not be the only one who was proud of Teddy.

"If we're taking Kelly to the zoo, we'll have to take the bus or have someone drive us. I don't think all of us are going to fit on your bike. I'll look into it if you want?"

"Thanks, Hermione. You'd probably know better than I would anyway."

"So when am I planning this?"

"I don't know. Tomorrow?"

"Sure. Kelly'll be happy. I'll let you know what time you need to be here later, okay?"

"Sounds good."

"I'll let you get back to playing with the blocks then."

"Oi. Teddy's playing; I only get to supervise."

"Uh-huh. Bye Harry, bye Teddy."

"Say 'bye-bye', Teddy."

"Bah!"

"Close enough. Bye Hermione." Once the mirror showed only her own reflection, Hermione dropped it onto the bed. _Could Mum have a point? Gahh! I'm not going to think about this now. I'll give Shannon a call to set up for tomorrow and then I'll go lose myself in a nice book._

:-:-:-:-:

Hermione almost bounced down the stairs when she heard the doorbell ring, her purse swinging from her hand. She yanked the door open with more force than might be strictly necessary.

"Harry!" she cried happily as she pulled her best friend into a hug.

"Morning, Mi." Hermione gave Harry some room when she heard his slightly choked reply. "All ready to go then?"

"Definitely. Shannon volunteered to drive us over since she apparently has to do a photoshoot there anyway. She was planning on going in a few weeks, but decided that today would work just as well if we're going to be watching Kelly for her."

"Huh; that's a stroke of luck. Shall we go pick them up?" Hermione nodded and closed and locked the door behind her as she joined Harry outside. She took his hand and began dragging him across the street. _I can't wait to see the look on Kelly's face._ Hermione and Shannon had agreed to keep this outing a surprise for Kelly, mostly because both women wanted to see how she and Harry interacted. Hermione rang the doorbell at the Miller house and didn't have to wait long for Shannon to open up.

"Harry, it's wonderful to see you again. Thank you so much for stopping by."

"Not at all. I'm always happy to go to the zoo." Shannon just smiled at him fondly before turning to the stairs.

"Kelly! Come on! It's time to go!" she called up.

"No! Don't wanna!" came the petulant reply.

"Sorry. We wanted to surprise her. She thinks she's going to a job with me." Shannon said quickly to Harry who had been looking confused. Harry nodded with a grin.

"Oh well, it's too bad, but we can go to the zoo without you, Kelly!" he called up the stairs. The reaction was almost immediate. There was a loud thumping and a slamming door and a pajama-wearing Kelly appeared at the top of the stairs.

"Harry!" she shrieked happily when she saw that he had really come to visit. Kelly flew down the stairs and completely ignored the last five as she flung herself at Harry, eminently confident that she would be caught. Harry didn't disappoint. As soon as she hit him, Kelly wrapped herself around Harry like a cutting of Devil's Snare; _a very cute piece of Devil's Snare though_. "You came! You really came. Does this mean we're going to the zoo together? Pleeeeaaase?"

"Well, we wanted to go, but you don't even have your shoes on yet." Harry said with a teasing grin. Kelly immediately struggled down and raced back up the stairs. Five minutes later she was back and had to be dragged back up by her mother to fix her hair and put on actual clothes. When they were finally ready to go Kelly insisted that Harry and Hermione sit in the back of the car with her and the two teens smilingly complied.

As they drove to the zoo, Harry and Hermione were regaled with stories of Kelly's time at her preschool. Hermione was impressed with how seriously Harry could take even the most trivial of stories. _You can see how much it means to her that she isn't simply being ignored._ When they got to the zoo they were let in free of charge after a quick phone call to the director from the woman at the ticket counter. She had been trying to keep Shannon from bringing her photo equipment into the zoo and Hermione suspected that the free entry for the three who weren't involved in the shoot was the director's way of trying to keep the woman making his next advertisement photos happy. Once inside the park, Shannon gave her daughter a stern talking to.

"I want to hear that you've been a good girl for Harry and Hermione when I get back understand?" Hermione had to bite her cheek to keep from laughing at how earnestly Kelly was nodding. _I don't think she would do anything that carries the risk of Harry considering her a 'bad girl'._ "Alright then. I'll see you back here around four?"

"Of course, Shannon. You don't need to worry. Harry and I will keep an eye on her." Shannon nodded gratefully and headed off to find shots she could take. Harry turned to look at Hermione and Kelly.

"Right, where to first?"

"Monkeys!" Kelly exclaimed grabbing Harry's hand. After the monkeys they went to see the lions, elephants, giraffes, tigers, gorillas and a number of smaller exhibits they encountered in between. Hermione was starting to get a little tired chasing after a boundlessly energetic four year-old and jumped at the chance for some rest when Harry suggested having lunch at the zoo's restaurant. When they got there she offered to find them a table while Harry and Kelly got them something to eat from the buffet.

"Are you peckish for anything in particular?"

"Not really. Just get me something that's not too heavy, please." Harry nodded and he and Kelly walked over to the buffet to grab a tray. Hermione scanned the restaurant and found an empty table, which she quickly sat at. Once she had taken her coat off and settled in, Hermione let her eyes follow Harry and Kelly as they made their way past the food options.

"Excuse me?" Hermione looked up to find an elderly woman with grey curls and wrinkles that looked like they came from smiling rather than frowning. "I'm sorry to bother you but I've seen you and your family all over the zoo and I just wanted to tell you that it did an old woman's heart good to see a young couple with such a happy child. Your daughter is quite beautiful." Hermione had to kickstart her brain after the woman's gushing confession.

"Oh. Kelly isn't my daughter I'm afraid. She and her mother are neighbours of ours. Harry and I are just taking her out for the day."

"I do apologise for the misunderstanding, but that might make how good your husband is with her even more endearing." Hermione followed the old woman's gaze to the buffet where Harry was carrying Kelly on his hip so she could see all the options as he pushed their tray along the rails with his free hand. _Wait. What did she call Harry?!_ "Not to sound like your mother, dear, but I do hope to see you two here with a little one of your own in a few years. I expect you'd make the most gorgeous children." Hermione felt a now familiar lurch in her chest as she remembered once again what Teddy had looked like over the mirrors the day before. _It's like the entire universe has started suggesting I date Harry. The world has gone mad… and maybe I have too. I'm not exactly screaming a denial here._ Hermione opened her mouth to give precisely that kind of denial, but the words seemed to get stuck in her throat.

"You know my mother?" came out instead.

"I don't think so. I do have a daughter of my own who's a bit older than you are and I can tell you that I'm eagerly awaiting a few grandchildren to spoil."

"Of course." _Mum's not really thinking like that is she?_

"Well, I'll leave you alone, dear. It looks like they're coming back. Enjoy the rest of your day together."

"Thank you. You too." As the old woman left Hermione tried to put the conversation from her mind. Her eyes found Harry and Kelly coming back to the table. Hermione smiled to see Kelly carefully carrying a tray with a juice box and a cup of carrot sticks. _Looks like someone grabbed some 'friendship food'._ Kelly managed to slide her tray onto the table before climbing onto the chair across from Hermione and looking up at Harry with an expectant grin. Harry smiled back and placed a far fuller tray on the table and sat down next to Kelly.

"Here, Hermione. A chicken and avocado salad."

"Perfect. Thank you."

"Chicken nuggets, applesauce and carrot sticks for Kelly."

"Yay!" Kelly immediately held out one of her carrot sticks and Harry obligingly snapped it so that they could share.

"And I'll have to settle for a hamburger." Harry had also gotten both of them a bottle of water. "So did you make a new friend or did you miss someone at the barbeque?" _I should have known. He's been too observant by half since the war._

"New friend, I think. She just wanted to compliment us on our beautiful daughter." Hermione enjoyed watching Harry's eyes nearly bug out of his head. _Maybe I should have waited until he took a bite or a drink? No, that would have been cruel. Funny, but cruel._

"You have a daughter?" Kelly asked.

"No, sweetie. The lady made a mistake and thought that Harry and I were your mummy and daddy."

"But I already have a mummy." She sounded honestly confused before Hermione saw her little face brighten noticeably. Kelly turned to Harry and gave him her best little girl pout. "I don't have a daddy yet. Can you be my daddy?" _Oh dear._ Harry put his hamburger down and gave Kelly his full attention.

"I'm sorry, Kelly, but it's not that easy."

"Why not?"

"Because it isn't up to one person whether they become a mummy or a daddy. It's something they have to decide together. On top of that I'm still in school. I'm technically still just a big kid and kids aren't supposed to become mummies and daddies." _And yet I'm not sure that you've ever been a kid, Harry._

"You're that boy's daddy." Kelly said mulishly. Harry blinked in surprise.

"She means Teddy, Harry." Hermione broke in softly. Understanding spread across Harry's face.

"I'm not Teddy's daddy, Kelly. His daddy asked me to be like an uncle to him."

"But Hermione said he was your, um, good-boy."

"Godson. I know the name's confusing, but Teddy doesn't think that I'm his daddy." _Because he's not even a year old yet, Harry. I know it wouldn't help us explain the situation to Kelly, but I wouldn't completely write off the possibility that Teddy will call you daddy one day._ Kelly was looking dejected at the news that Harry wasn't going to be her new daddy and had started pushing her chicken nuggets around her plate. "I may not be able to be your daddy, but I can still be your friend if you want." Harry said gently as he reached across and took one of the carrot sticks to hold out to the little girl next to him. Kelly scowled at the offending piece of vegetable for a moment before looking back up at Harry.

"Are you sure you can't be my daddy?" Harry nodded with a sad look on his face. Kelly looked back at the carrot stick and finally grabbed it with a determined look on her face. Harry almost gently snapped the carrot and the two shared their snack. Lunch was a slightly quiet affair after that. When they were done, Harry cleared the rubbish away and Hermione tried her own hand at cheering Kelly up a little; it didn't work like she had hoped. When Harry came back he took Kelly's hand and gently led her out of the restaurant. Kelly was still looking depressed and when they came to the stairs that led to the doors outside Kelly missed a step in her distraction and only Harry hauling her up by the arm saved her from a nasty tumble.

"Kelly! Are you alright?!" Hermione found herself rushing forward before she had consciously made the decision to do so. She checked the little girl over for any injuries and found only a trembling lip and watery eyes as Kelly sniffled and tried not to cry. "Are you hurt anywhere, sweetie?" Kelly shook her head as Harry knelt down next to them.

"You are a very brave little girl, Kelly, but you don't have to hide it from us if there is something wrong, alright?" he said gently. Kelly looked at him for a moment before she flung her arms around his neck and clung on like a limpet. Harry stood up with Kelly in his arms and gave Hermione a look that she understood to mean 'let's get out of here'. Harry led the way to a bench that was a few hundred metres away from the restaurant as Kelly sniffled into his neck. He sat down with Kelly in his lap and Hermione sat down next to him. She leant over and rubbed gentle circles on Kelly's back. Slowly the sniffles subsided and despite a little redness in her eyes Kelly looked like she had recovered from the shock. Hermione took out her handkerchief and gently wiped the younger girl's eyes.

"There we go." she said as she put the handkerchief away. "Do you want to continue or should we try to find your mummy?" Kelly was clearly torn between wanting to see her mother again and not wanting the day out to end yet. "Maybe we can go see a few more animals as we look for your mummy?" Hermione suggested. Kelly thought it over before nodding carefully. "Okay. Shall we go then or would you like to use Harry as a chair for a little longer?"

"Oi!" Harry's exaggerated response drew a watery giggle from Kelly. Hermione held out a hand which Kelly took after studying it for a moment. Once Harry had gotten up she grabbed his hand too. With Kelly between them Harry and Hermione set off at an easy pace so they could admire the animals they passed as they looked for Shannon. Hermione felt sure that Kelly had forgotten her earlier scare when the four-year-old started trying to match their longer strides. She was taking leaping steps in an effort to have her feet land at the same points as Harry and Hermione's. Hermione could feel Kelly putting more and more weight on the hands she was holding as she used them to swing herself forward.

It didn't take long for the leaping steps to turn into swings that included run-ups and required Harry and Hermione to pull up their arms so that Kelly swung out ahead of them. As she swung out farther and farther Kelly's giggles turned into shrieks of laughter. Hermione knew that all thoughts of finding her mother had left Kelly's mind when she felt the little girl start tugging them from exhibit to exhibit. _I don't know how Harry does it. He doesn't even look a little tired and I can't stop thinking about getting to my couch and flopping down on it._

Eventually it came time to meet up with Shannon near the entrance again. By that time even Kelly was starting to feel worn out. She was dragging her feet and her face looked like she was about to cry from sheer exhaustion. _Please don't. Just save that for your mum, alright?_ Once again though, Harry managed to find a solution. Copying some other men he saw he swung Kelly up onto his shoulders. Kelly was so impressed by the view that she forgot to be tired. She simply rode the rest of the way with her tiny hands fisted in Harry's messy black locks and her head swiveling from side to side as she tried to take in this new perspective on the world. Their little group made it to the front gates without incident. Kelly even took advantage of her position to find her mother extra quickly.

"Mummy! Mummy! Look! I'm really tall!" There was a lot of enthusiastic waving involved and Hermione felt relieved that Harry was holding on to Kelly's legs to prevent her from falling off. Shannon met them and Hermione thought that even she looked tired. _Or maybe I'm so desperate to get off my feet that everyone looks tired to me._ Harry lifted Kelly off of his shoulders so that she could run over to her mother for a hug.

"Hello, sweetheart. Did you have fun today?"

"Uh-huh! Mummy, there were monkeys, and these weird little dogs that stand up straight, and giraffes and lions and, and there was this elephant and it was really, really big, and, and-"

"Save some for the car, okay, Kelly? Were you a good girl for Harry and Hermione?"

"Yeah, I was really super extra good."

"Was she really?" Shannon asked the two teens who were watching the reunion.

"Yes, she was." Harry said softly. Hermione caught the wistful smile on his face and took his hand to give it a supportive squeeze. Kelly beamed up at him. _Wow. The one person whose hero-worship Harry'll put up with._ All the way back to the car Kelly regaled her mum with stories of what had happened and which animals they had seen. About five minutes into the drive home the stories stopped as Kelly had fallen asleep leaning against Harry's side.

When they got to the Millers' home Hermione watched as Harry gently lifted Kelly from the car and carried her up to her room. They waved off Shannon's thanks as they made their way across the street to Hermione's house.

"I really enjoyed today, Harry. You're really good with Kelly."

"Thanks. I enjoyed spending time with you too." Harry responded quietly. There was an intensity in his eyes that Hermione couldn't quite read. _Actually, I'm not sure I_ want _to read it._ She shivered as she remembered her encounter with the woman at the restaurant. _I need to just take some time and centre myself, that's all. This will all make sense in the morning._ "Are you alright?" Hermione saw that the intensity in Harry's eyes had changed to concern.

"I'll be alright, Harry. I'm just tired." Hermione felt those green eyes scrutinising her.

"If you're sure… "

"I am. You don't need to worry about me." Harry nodded, but looked unconvinced.

"Well, I'll just leave you to it then, so you can get some peace and quiet. I'll see you on the Express if I don't see you sooner." Hermione watched him get on his bike and drive out of sight before she entered the house. She closed the door behind her and leant back against it. _This- this may not have been one of my better ideas_ she thought to herself as memories of the day swirled through her mind and confusion tore through her chest.

:-:-:-:-:

"Helen! Do you have a moment?" Helen looked up from where she was opening her front door to see Shannon Miller jogging across the street towards her.

"Of course, Shannon. Would you like a cup of tea?"

"Alright, I suppose. I can't stay too long though. I need to go pick Kelly up from my mum's soon. I just wanted to give you this." Helen found a large manilla envelope being held out to her. "I was hoping that you could send this to Hermione and Harry when you get the chance. I would do it myself if they weren't in such a high security location."

"I understand. Do you mind if I ask you what it is?" Helen couldn't keep her curiosity out of her voice.

"Just copies of some of the photos I took of them at the barbecue and one that I took of them when they took Kelly to the zoo." Rather than assuaging Helen's curiosity this answer kicked it into overdrive.

"Do you have any more copies?"

"Oh, I completely forgot. I have another set for you. I'll just go get them."

"I'll go and put the kettle on." Helen made her way into the house and started the water boiling before placing the envelope on the kitchen table and hanging her coat over one of the chairs. _Hermione would give me an earful for breaking my own rules about putting things in their place the first time, but I think I'll make an exception to get at those pictures._ Shannon had soon returned with a smaller envelope that Helen recognised as the type used at photo development stores.

"Here you go, Helen." Helen poured them each a mug of tea and sat down next to her neighbour. She eagerly opened the smaller envelope and drew out the small stack of pictures. The very first one made her gasp. It was of Harry and Hermione at the barbecue, with Kelly sitting on Harry's lap. Harry was leaning back with one arm across the back of Hermione's chair and the other around Kelly to make sure that she didn't slip off his lap by accident. Hermione was leaning forward towards an eagerly talking and gesticulating Kelly. The whole scene almost sparkled with happiness.

"They look…" Helen trailed off unable to articulate exactly what she was seeing.

"They look like a young family." Shannon finished Helen's sentiment quietly. Helen looked up at her in mild surprise. "If I didn't know that Kelly was my daughter, I would have thought that she was sitting with her parents and that they were a happy family." There was something a little rueful about Shannon's words.

"Are you alright, Shannon?"

"Yeah. I'm sorry. Kelly's just been urging me to marry a certain teenager ever since she met him and I can't help but think that I could do worse. It's driving me a little batty."

"Hermione told me that they tried to explain to Kelly why Harry couldn't be her new father."

"Yes, but a large part of that explanation centred on Harry not being old enough. Kelly wants me to marry him once he is." Helen couldn't stop the smile emerging onto her face.

"That does sound like a difficult situation to explain to a four-year-old."

"You have no idea." _You may be right about that. At least Hermione is the same age as Harry and she was a little older when she became interested in him. I just wish that she had stayed that interested in him._ Helen had looked at several pictures of Harry, Hermione and Kelly when she came to one of the three out in the sunlight. Kelly was walking between Harry and Hermione and it was clear that she was using the pair's arms as a swing. Once again there were smiles on all three faces as Kelly was swung into the air. _Actually, it looks like she's laughing her head off._ "Yeah, I actually included release forms for that picture. I accidentally left a print in with the ones I sent to the zoo so that they could determine which ones they wanted to use in their advertisements. This was their favourite by a mile."

"I think I can see why. If everyone who came to the zoo had this much fun, they'd never go out of business."

"I-, um, I hope you don't mind but I also included a letter for Hermione. I wanted to tell her about my experiences with Kelly's father and what it taught me about men. I think she needs her eyes opened from what I saw." It was clear from Shannon's tone that she was worried that she might have overstepped her bounds.

"I'll just hope that it works then." Helen responded. _I'll take anything that makes her see sense at this point._ Her eyes kept roving over the pictures in her hands. "You really do have a talent for this sort of thing, Shannon. I'll have to find a nice frame to put some of these in." Shannon smiled at Helen before she drained her tea.

"Thank you, Helen. I really should so go now. Kelly's going to be waiting for me and Mum will probably be grateful for the peace and quiet after a full day of my lovely daughter."

"I understand, Shannon. Thank you for bringing these by." Shannon just smiled in response as she headed for the door. Helen made herself another cup of tea and sat down to have another look at the pictures. _Not even Hermione'll be able to deny what these pictures show. I hope we get an owl soon._

:-:-:-:-:

A few weeks after Helen had sent the pictures off to Hermione she was happily walking across the road to the Miller girls' house. _I can't believe it finally happened._ Hermione's latest letter had included the news that she had broken up with that Weasley boy! She had mentioned that it had been difficult but that Harry was being wonderfully supportive. _Maybe we can smuggle him along to the next barbecue and introduce him properly as Hermione's boyfriend. It would be so much nicer than having to admit that she's dating the redhead. Besides, most of the neighbours already like him after what he did the last time they saw him._ Feeling pleased with herself Helen rang the doorbell. It took a few moments for someone to reach the door. When it was opened Helen came face to face with a ragged looking Shannon.

"Helen? Can I help you with something?"

"Ah, well I was hoping to share some news with you, but if this is a bad time I can come back later."

"No, come on in, it's fine. Kelly's just throwing a bit of a tantrum. I can't believe I ever complained about her not eating her veggies. Now she wants carrot sticks for every meal."

"Because they're 'friendship food'?" Shannon's look said it all. "Have you tried telling her that she might want to save them for when Harry's here again?"

"I haven't dared. They're just about the only thing she will eat that has vitamin C in it." When the two women came into the kitchen they found a guilty looking little girl rooting through the fridge. "Kelly Anne Miller! What do you think you're doing, young lady?"

"I want carrots." Kelly declared glaring up at her mother. Helen tried to swallow down the laughter that wanted to bubble up. _There's just something about a four-year-old trying to glare that's adorable._

"No. We're having peas tonight and that is final."

"I want _carrots_!" Kelly yelled as she stamped a foot. Silence descended over the kitchen and three pairs of eyes locked onto the plates on the table. As Kelly's foot had hit the floor the small piles of peas on the plates had turned into small piles of carrot sticks. _Kelly's a witch._ The thought shot through Helen's mind like a thunderbolt. She turned to look at Shannon and saw that she was turning bone white.

"Um, I can explain that." Shannon said in a tremulous voice. _I kind of want to hear what she'll come up with._

"Oh?" Helen asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes. The thing is-... um, you see-… well-… okay, so I can't explain it. Please, Helen, don't tell anyone. I don't want my little girl to be taken by some g-man wanting to do tests on her." Helen could see the honest fear in Shannon's eyes.

"Don't worry, Shannon. No one will be taking Kelly anywhere. I actually _can_ explain what just happened. Hermione used to things like that all the time." Shannon's relief was almost palpable.

"So this is normal?"

"Well, it's rare, but it does happen. I can tell you that when she's eleven Kelly will be invited to join Hermione's school. It's a bit of a long story, so maybe we can sit down?" Shannon nodded, wide-eyed. Helen thought the poor woman might still be in a state of shocked disbelief as she got her daughter into a chair. _And it's not likely to get better anytime soon._ Helen sat down across from her neighbour and prepared to explain what she could about a world she was still learning about herself. _I think I need to get Hermione and Harry to come over during the summer to help out with the more substantial explanations._ She looked at Kelly happily eating her carrot sticks. _Somehow, I don't think it will be a problem. They may even have some more news for us by then, if I'm lucky._ Helen smiled contentedly and took a deep breath to begin her explanation of witches, wizards, Hogwarts and magic.

* * *

 **AN:** I want to wish my and UrsaMinor's sister a happy birthday, despite the fact that she isn't nearly as keen on reading fanfics as we are. Happy 27th BB.

And there you have the second part of my not quite one-shot. This story was something I used as a change of pace while writing a longer piece. I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless. I will be trying to get that longer piece out soon and there is another one-shot that has taken over from this one as my relief piece.

Those of you who are wondering what a 'g-man' is, it's just a (not exactly flattering) name for someone who works in the government.

 **Update:** this was where the story was supposed to end, but due to the fact that I could not find a single reviewer who didn't ask for more, I bowed to peer pressure and added one more chapter.

As always: thanks for reading.


	3. Chapter 3

"Alright, Kelly, would you like to read the first page?" Kelly sighed and pulled her copy of The Magic Key towards her.

"The box was by Chip's bed." she read slowly before coming to a big word. "S-... something was g-... glowing inside it."

"Very good, Kelly. Alright, Laura, the next page, please." Kelly looked out the window as she wondered why she still had to go to school. _Mrs. Helen said I was magic like Harry and Hermione. Why can't I go to magic school with them?_ Mummy had said that it was because Harry and Hermione's school was only for big kids. _I bet the kids at the magical schools are nice._

Most of the time the kids in Kelly's school were nice too, but a new boy had been introduced today and during their first break Kelly had learnt to hate Ezekiel Beiler. Zeke, as he had told them he liked to be called, had moved to the neighbourhood from America. According to Ms. King he would was joining the class next year, but he was here now to make some friends before the summer. _Not me. I don't want to be his friend._ The boy talked funny, but Kelly would have been okay with that. He was also a bully and a meanie and had pinched Kelly's arm hard enough that it left a mark, but Ms. King hadn't believed her when she said that Zeke had done it.

"You should be nice to him, Kelly." Ms. King had said. "Zeke has never been in England before and he's probably just nervous to be in a strange place." _Even if he is, he's still a meanie. I wish Harry was here. He stopped that other big kid from being a meanie, I'm sure he could stop Zeke too._ As the day progressed Kelly's experiences with Zeke got worse and worse. He dipped her ponytail in a pot of glue, spilt paint over the painting she had been making for Mummy and torn the arms off of the dolly she had brought in for toy time. Kelly felt like she was about to cry and wished the day would just end already.

"Children, your attention please? Remember to do the word exercises in your workbooks at home tonight. We'll go over them tomorrow." Ms King looked over the class though Kelly didn't know what she was looking for. "Alright, let's get you home then." Kelly was at the door before any of her classmates had even gathered their things. All she wanted was to see Mummy and hug her. Once everyone was lined up, Ms. King took them out to the playground so that their mummies and daddies could find them. The moment Ms. King said it was okay, the kids who had seen their parents were running towards them. Kelly was still looking for Mummy when she felt someone shove her in the back. She tried to catch herself but her knee hit the asphalt of the playground first. The pain in her knee proved to be the final drop that caused the well to overflow. Tears leaked down Kelly's cheeks as she clutched her stinging knee to her chest. Above her she could hear someone laughing and when she looked up she saw Zeke standing there. It was just too much for the little girl to take.

"You-... you-... you stupid poopie-head! When I learn how to do magic I'm gunna turn you into a slug and step on you!" Zeke stopped laughing for a second before laughing even louder.

"You still think magic is real?! What a baby."

"Magic _is_ real!"

"No, it isn't. God wouldn't let it be." an adult voice interrupted the two children. Kelly saw that a grown up lady had joined them. _She talks funny like Zeke does. She must be his mummy._ "You are a horrible, bad, little girl. Thoughts of magic are trickery from the Devil. Though given the sin from which you were born I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that you're such a nasty, sinful, little child."

"Kelly! Kelly, are you alright, sweetheart?!" Kelly felt unbelievably happy that her mummy was finally there. Mummy knelt down next to her and wrapped her in a hug. "You should apologise for pushing Kelly like that, young man." Mummy said sternly to Zeke.

"He most certainly should not!" Zeke's mummy said loudly. "My son was raised in God's love and knows that he should punish wickedness when he sees it. I won't have some Jezebel and the product of her sins inflicting their loose morals on my lovely boy. You should think about raising that spawn of yours properly instead." The lady sniffed at Mummy before turning around and walking away, holding Zeke's hand to make sure he came with her. Kelly saw Zeke turn around and make a face at her before laughing again as he walked down the street with his mummy.

"Come on, sweetheart. Let's go home and fix up that knee." Mummy said before she picked Kelly up. Kelly tried her best to be a big girl but the sniffles wouldn't stop. When they got home Mummy sat Kelly down on top of the kitchen table. She came back with a bottle of stinky, brown stuff which hurt when she put it on Kelly's knee. She then put a piece of white, fuzzy stuff over the scrape on Kelly's knee and stuck it there with plasters. Finally she gave Kelly's leg a kiss right above the white, fuzzy stuff. "There. All better." Kelly sniffed and nodded. Mummy gave her a strange look and sighed. "You know, sweetie, you really shouldn't be yelling about magic on a playground like that. Remember that Mrs. Helen told us that it has to be super secret?"

"But- but, Zeke was being naughty first."

"Just because he was naughty, doesn't mean that you should be too." Mummy said sternly. Kelly could feel the tears burning behind her eyes. "Can you promise me that you won't tell anyone about magic again?"

"No! I hate you!" Kelly jumped down off of the table and ran up the stairs to her room where she threw the door shut as loudly as she could. She clambered up onto her bed and started crying as she thought about how unfair it was that Mummy was telling her off when she hadn't been naughty. Kelly had been sure that Mummy would come up to tell her off some more but the expected scolding never came. Kelly didn't know how long she sat in her room, but she was determined to stay up here and not go down to see Mummy until Mummy was sorry. A knock at her door caused her to jump in surprise.

"Go 'way!" she yelled at the door, trying not to let Mummy hear that she was still sniffling.

"But I just got here." The voice was deep; much deeper than Mummy's. _I know that voice!_ Kelly scrambled off of the bed, ran for the door and threw it open.

"Harry!" Kelly flung herself at the man she still hoped would one day be her daddy. A pair of strong arms caught her and lifted her up until she was resting against a broad chest. She threw her arms around Harry's neck as he slung an arm under her for her to sit on. Kelly felt Harry moving and heard the door shut before she felt him sit down with her in his lap. Harry didn't say anything, but kept hugging her. Kelly didn't say anything either and just clung to Harry. Eventually she let go a little bit so she could look at him. Harry's green eyes were worried as they looked back at her.

"Your mummy said that you had a bad day at school." he said. Kelly nodded, still looking up at Harry's face. "Want to tell me about it?" Kelly was only quiet for a moment before she launched into an explanation of what had happened that day. She told Harry about all the naughty things Zeke had done and what had happened after school. She told him about Zeke and his mummy and her mummy and why Zeke was a poopie-head and Mummy was a poopie-head and Zeke's mummy was a poopie-head. Throughout it all Harry listened, his eyes still watching her. After she was done Harry was quiet for a moment.

"Kelly, do you want to be like this Zeke boy?"

"NO!" Kelly was shocked that Harry would think of her like that.

"But you said that you would use magic to hurt him. That sounds like you want to bully him."

"But-... I just want him to stop."

"I know, sweetheart, but you can't get people to stop being bullies by being a bully yourself. A part of having magic is knowing that you shouldn't use it to bully others."

"But magic is real, right?" Kelly asked desperately. _I can put up with a poopie-head if magic is really real._ Harry smiled at her and pulled a long thin piece of wood from his bracelet. Kelly gasped in wonder as she saw it.

"This is my wand, Kelly, and with it…" Harry flicked the wand towards the door which opened. Kelly looked at the door in confusion. _That's it?_ Her unspoken question was answered a moment later when her schoolbag came zooming through the door without anyone carrying it. The pieces of her dolly floated out and reattached themselves before it landed in Kelly's arms, looking like that mean boy had never pulled her arms off. While Kelly was hugging her dolly she felt something happen to her hair. When she reached up and touched it she could feel that it was no longer glued together. A rush of cold air across her knee told her that the white, fuzzy thing Mummy had taped there had disappeared. Kelly watched in amazement as Harry's wand danced above her knee and the pain disappeared as the scrape seemed to melt away.

"Magic is very real, Kelly." Harry said quietly. "We have to make sure that we keep it a secret though. That's why we usually don't tell kids until they're a little bigger. Can you be a big girl for me and keep that in mind?" Kelly nodded while chewing her lip.

"But what about Zeke?"

"You let me worry about him. Besides, there is nothing left of his bullying now and he's not any happier for having done it; bullies are never really happy." Kelly cuddled back in to Harry as she thought about what he had said to her. "Now then, Hermione and I came over to invite you over to my house for dinner-"

"A magical house?!" Kelly's head shot up and her eyes were wide with wonder.

"Yes, a magical house, but we can only go if you tell your mummy that you're sorry for what you said to her."

"No." Kelly crossed her arms and scowled up at Harry. "She was mean. She told me off, but Zeke was the naughty one. I wish I didn't have a mummy."

"Do you really?" Harry sounded sad which made Kelly forget to scowl as she looked up at him. "It's not fun to not have a mummy, Kelly. I don't have a mummy."

"You don't?" _But- but everyone has a mummy. Even a poopie-head like Zeke has a mummy._ "Is it because you're a big kid?"

"No, sweetheart. When I was really little my mummy and daddy were hurt very badly and they had to go away."

"Are they going to come back soon?"

"No. They were hurt so badly that they can never come back." _That's terrible!_

"But if you didn't have a mummy who read your bedtime story? Who made your dinner? Who gave you hugs?!"

"No one. I cooked my own food. And I have Hermione who gives me hugs now. Besides, we're hugging now aren't we?" Kelly did her best to hug Harry even more than she already was. "I know that you were angry at her, Kelly, but having a mummy is something wonderful that you shouldn't give up." Kelly nodded her head into Harry's neck. She couldn't imagine what it would be like to not have a mummy read you a story before you went to sleep, never mind having to make your own dinner. They stayed like that for a long while before Harry gave her an extra squeeze. "Come on. You should tell Mummy that you're sorry for what you said and then we'll go have a magical dinner." Kelly slipped her hand into Harry's as they walked back downstairs. In the kitchen they found Mummy, Hermione and Mr. Richard and Mrs. Helen. Kelly felt Harry give her hand a squeeze and when she looked up at him he smiled down at her. "Go on." Kelly let go of Harry's hand and ran over to give Mummy a hug too.

"I'm sorry, Mummy." she said. "I'm happy that you're my mummy."

"It's okay, sweetie. I love you too." Mummy said in a funny voice as she wrapped Kelly in a hug. "Did Harry tell you that we're going to be eating at his house tonight?" Mummy asked as she drew back from the hug. Kelly nodded enthusiastically and heard the people behind her chuckling as she did so. Mummy helped her get her coat on and a moment later the Miller girls were seated in the car while the Grangers got into theirs. Kelly was looking out the front window at Harry who was getting on a really big bike with no pedals. As they drove away Kelly discovered that Harry was _really_ fast on his bike. _I wonder if I'll be able to go that fast when I'm a big kid?_ They were in the car for a really long time before they came to a place with a lot of houses. _It's really… grey._ Harry had gotten off of his bike and Hermione and Mr. Richard and Mrs. Helen were getting out of their car. Mummy undid Kelly's seatbelt and she scrambled out of the car.

"Where are we?" she asked as soon as she got near Harry.

"We're standing outside my house, but you can't find it if you don't already know where it is." Kelly's brow scrunched up as she tried to work out that riddle. "You'll see when your mum's done locking up the car." Kelly waited impatiently for Mummy to close the doors and lock the car before she came over. When everyone was there, Harry showed them all a piece of strange looking paper. When he got to her Kelly held out her hand for the paper.

"You sure you don't want me to tell you what it says?" Harry asked. Kelly shook her head. _I can read._ Harry nodded and handed her the piece of paper. Kelly took a moment to marvel at how thick it was. Her first attempts to read the words led to a disappointment though; there were just too many big ones for her to easily read it. She felt embarrassed when Harry squatted down beside her, but he just drew her back against his chest so he could read over her shoulder. "Come on. We'll read it together."

"Harry P-... Potter r-... re-... res-..."

"Resides. It means lives here." Kelly nodded at Harry's help.

"Harry Potter _resides_ at number 12 Gri-... Grim-..." she looked up at Harry for help with the really big word.

"Grimmauld. It's the name of this square."

"Harry Potter resides at number 12 _Grimmauld_ … Place!" Kelly beamed up at Harry once she managed the whole sentence.

"Look over there." Kelly followed Harry's finger with her eyes and gasped when she saw a house appearing between two others.

"It really is a magic house." she whispered.

"Want to see the inside?" Harry asked. Kelly nodded so hard her head hurt and a had a cheek splitting grin as Harry took her hand and led her towards the door. He opened it up and Kelly could see a hallway with several large picture frames to either side.

"Are those tvs?" she asked as she watched an old film of a pretty lady and two men waving down at her.

"They're photos."

"But they're waving at me!" Harry just grinned at Kelly's explanation and tapped the side of nose.

"Magic." he stage whispered. Kelly looked around her in awe at more proof that magic was really real.

"Can Mummy make her photos move too?"

"No, but once you finish big kid magical school you'll be able to make Mummy's photos move." Hermione told Kelly.

"Wow." Harry led her on to the kitchen and it was only the fact that he had a hold of her hand that kept Kelly moving. There was just so much to see! In the kitchen Harry led her to a chair and sat her down.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Hermione and I will now show you the wonders of magic by preparing dinner." Harry said while making a sweeping bow. The other grown ups sat down and they all watched as Harry and Hermione took their wands out of their bracelets and waved them at the cupboards and the counter. Vegetables flew out of the fridge and started peeling themselves in midair. A bunch of meat dropped itself into a skillet and the oven lit up. When Kelly saw a carrot peeling itself before cutting itself into sticks she clapped in delight and jumped off of her chair to grab one. She missed and for just a moment she thought she was going to fall.

"Kelly!" Mummy yelled, but Kelly had already discovered that she wasn't falling. Instead she was softly floating in the air. She caught a wink from Harry before a twitch of his wand sent her zooming around the room shrieking with laughter as she held out her arms as wings.

"Harry James Potter! What are you thinking?! Get her down right now!" Hermione yelled. _Uh-oh. Harry's in trouble._

"You know, you used to laugh like that when I threw you up and caught you again." Mr. Richard said to Hermione. "Let Harry have some fun with his little girl like I had with mine."

"Am I really your little girl?" Kelly called down to Harry. She found herself floating down so she was just as tall as he was and saw that he was smiling.

"Of course you are, sweetheart."

"Yay! More flying!" Kelly yelled out as she flapped her arms in an attempt to get going again.

"Yes, ma'am." Harry said as he flicked his wand and she was off again.

"Harry!" _Hermione must be really angry with him._ After a few more minutes Kelly found herself hovering over her chair and she was slowly being lowered into it.

"Dinner will be served in a few minutes." Harry said from where he was sitting next to her. Kelly looked around and saw that Hermione was sitting across from Harry next to Mr. Richard and Mrs. Helen. In front of her she saw a cup with carrot sticks. She happily grabbed one and held it out to Harry with a big grin. Harry smiled and snapped it in half with her and they ate it together. _They taste even better when Harry's here._ Kelly happily tried to scoot her chair closer to Harry so she could lean against his side. Harry just slipped an arm around her while he was talking with Mummy.

"If you're worried about driving home it'd be no problem to put you up for a night, Shannon. I have more rooms than I really know what to do with." _We're having a sleepover? With Harry? In a magical house? Best night EVER!_

"I wouldn't want to put you out, Harry."

"Pleeease?! Pleeeease, Mummy? I wanna have a sleepover with Harry. Pleeease?" Kelly could feel Harry chuckling where she was leaning up against him.

"But we don't have any night clothes or anything with us."

"We could just use magic." Harry offered, twirling his wand. Kelly could see that Mummy was surprised and giggled. _How could she forget about_ magic _?!_

"If you're sure, Harry."

"I am."

"Alright, in that case I would love a glass of wine."

"We're staying?" Kelly asked, just to be sure. Mummy nodded with a smile on her face. "Yay!"

"Okay, everyone, hands back. We have a hot dish coming through." Hermione said as she seemed to be pointing her wand at something. Kelly grinned as she saw a Shephard's Pie hovering where Hermione was pointing. Once the pie had landed on the table some more wand waving from Hermione made it cut itself up and all the pieces magically floated to the plates. Kelly burst into applause before grabbing her spoon and digging in. The only downside was that she was forced to lean forward to take a bite as Mummy wouldn't let her keep the plate on her lap, so after every bite she quickly leaned back so she could cuddle into Harry again.

After dinner Harry and Hermione made the dishes go to the sink and start washing themselves. Everyone went into the sitting room together and Kelly made sure to wait until Harry was sitting so she could claim his lap. As they sat there Harry and Hermione told Kelly and Mummy that they could ask any questions they wanted. Mummy wanted to know boring things like what the teachers were like at school and who was the country's boss. It was up to Kelly to ask the important questions.

"Are unicorns real? What does it feel like to turn someone into a frog? Do witches have to eat their veggies? Can you fly on a broom?" Harry and Hermione answered all of Kelly's questions just like they did Mummy's. Eventually Mummy said that it was bedtime and no amount of begging from Kelly could change her mind. "Only if Harry reads me a story." she tried when she realised that Mummy was going put her to bed anyway.

"That's fine. Would you like a bedtime story for magical children?" Kelly was amazed that there was such a thing.

"My copy of Beedle's in the fiction section, Harry." Hermione told him. The words didn't make sense to Kelly, but she didn't care. _Harry's going to read me a bedtime story._ Kelly almost dragged Mummy up the stairs to get to bed before she realised that she didn't know where she was supposed to go. Harry came out and led them up the stairs, only stopping at a pair of doors to wave his wand and catch a book that came flying out. He then led them to a room with a pair of beds in them.

"You can sleep together, or if you prefer there are a few more rooms to choose from."

"Why don't we put Kelly in here and I can decide when I go up?"

"Alright." Harry turned to Kelly and smiled at her. "Ready?" Kelly nodded even though she wasn't sure what she was supposed to be ready for; she felt ready for anything except bed. Harry flicked his wand at her and Kelly felt her clothes ruffle. _That's it?_ She looked down and gasped. Her clothes had turned into a pair of pink pajamas with a unicorn on them and a pair of fuzzy white slippers. The really magical thing was that the unicorn was moving and grazing on the pink grass.

"MummyMummyMummy! Look! Look!" Kelly yelled out as she whirled around to show Mummy what had happened to her clothes. Mummy looked a little wide eyed, but Kelly was too excited to care. She felt herself being grabbed and lifted into the air.

"Alright, little lady, time for bed." she heard Harry say as he lifted her into bed and took off her new slippers before he tucked her in. He sat down next to her, putting an arm around her so he could hold the book in front of her where she could see. "Now then about that story. I thought you might like Babbity Rabbity and her Cackling Stump." Kelly giggled at the funny name and gasped when she saw that the pictures in the book were moving like the unicorn on her pajamas.

After Harry had finished the story he and Mummy both kissed her good night and turned off the light as the left the room. Kelly was far too excited to sleep so she listened to the house instead. She heard a loud crack a few minutes after going to bed and another a long time later. _I hope the magical house isn't hurt._ Another long time later Kelly heard people coming up the stairs like she sometimes heard Mummy back home. When the house was quiet and there was nothing left to listen to Kelly found herself tossing and turning, but she just couldn't get to sleep. _No one could sleep now. We're in a_ magical _house._ There was only one thing that she could do right now: explore. Quietly, Kelly crept out of bed and opened the door. It was dark outside of the door so she had to walk carefully. She stuck a foot out slowly before putting it down so she could make sure that she wasn't going to walk into something or step on something. Kelly made her way to the staircase and saw that there was still a light on downstairs. Since she was able to see more now she was able to creep down the stairs a little faster than the hallway. At the bottom of the stairs she snuck towards the light and peeked through the slightly ajar door. The room inside had a big couch standing on a rug in front of a fireplace. By the light of the fire she could see Harry and Hermione dancing together. Kelly had no idea how long she had watched when she heard Hermione speak.

"So where did you apparate to after Kelly had gone to bed?" _Harry did something after I went to bed?_ Kelly couldn't understand the word Hermione had used, but knew it had to be magic.

"Oh, I just wanted to talk to someone."

"Uh-huh. Who?" _Mummy sounds like that when she thinks I'm fibbing. Harry wouldn't fib though._

"That's not really important."

"Who, Harry?"

"That Beiler woman." Harry sighed. Hermione was quiet for a moment as they kept dancing.

"You told her to keep her son away from Kelly didn't you?"

"Actually we had a pleasant discussion about places she could live and she and her husband decided that Crawley wasn't for them after all."

"And how much was your aura flaring during this pleasant discussion?"

"Hermione, would I do that?"

"To the woman who had a go at 'your little girl'? I don't think you'd have stopped until she was a gibbering wreck." Harry just grinned at Hermione and Kelly saw her smile and shake her head. "What am I going to do with you, Harry?"

"Be my big girl?" Hermione laughed and pressed her mouth to Harry's. Kelly gasped as she recognised a kiss like the one she had seen in a film with Mummy. Mummy had said that that was how grown ups told each other 'I love you'! Harry and Hermione looked at the door in surprise and Kelly realised that they must have heard her. A moment later Harry had crossed the room and opened the door. "What are you doing out of bed, young lady?" he asked as he picked her up.

"I couldn't sleep so I went 'sploring."

"Hmm. Were you exploring for anything in particular?" Kelly shook her head.

"It's a _magic_ house." she explained to Harry who chuckled as he carried her into the room with the big couch.

"You know that if you went exploring in the morning that you would be able to see a lot more?" Kelly froze as she thought about that. _It_ is _difficult to see in the dark._ In the meantime Harry sat down on the couch with Kelly in his lap while Hermione sat down next to them. Kelly shook off her realisation for now as she had other questions she wanted answered.

"Did you really tell Zeke's mummy that he can't be a meanie anymore?" she asked.

"I did. She said that they were going to be sending him to another school instead. He won't be a meanie to you anymore." Kelly couldn't think of a way to tell Harry how happy that made her so she tried to kiss him like Hermione had and pressed her lips to his. It felt a little weird and she pulled back again.

"Do you really like doing that?" Hermione was bent over with her shoulders shaking and Kelly was worried that she might be crying, but she couldn't see Hermione's face; Harry just looked surprised. After several blinks he managed to smile again.

"I do, but I think I'll stick to doing that with Hermione." Kelly nodded thoughtfully as she snuggled down into Harry's chest. Once she was comfy she looked over at Hermione again and saw that her shoulders were still shaking.

"Is Hermione okay?" she asked Harry worriedly. Harry just barked out a laugh and poked Hermione in the side causing her to giggle madly.

"She's fine." he grinned down at Kelly. _Grown ups are weird._ Lying on Harry's chest and listening to his heartbeat made Kelly realise that she actually felt pretty sleepy. "I think it's time someone went back to bed." she heard Harry say quietly. A moment later she felt movement and realised that he had stood up and was walking with her in his arms. Harry took Kelly up the stairs and laid her down in her bed. He pulled the covers up over her shoulder and kissed her forehead causing Kelly to smile happily even though she was _really_ sleepy now. "Goodnight, sweetheart."

"Goo' night, Daddy." Kelly murmured as her eyes drooped closed. She never got to see the shocked look on Harry's face.

:-:-:-:-:

 **Fourteen years later**

"Now that we have handed out all the diplomas, we wanted to let the students have the last word since this is really about them. This year they will be speaking to you through our Head Girl, Kelly Miller." As McGonagall stepped back, clapping politely, Kelly got up behind the lectern and looked out into the Great Hall at the sea of faces looking back at her. _I'm so sorry that you couldn't be here for this, Mum. I promise I'll make you proud though._ Kelly knew that her mother might not be here, but at least Harry and Hermione were and Hermione had said that she would bring Uncle George's new invention: a Mem-corder. _Mum'll be able to see everything as if she was here when we get home._ Kelly took a deep breath and started her graduation speech.

"Parents, family, friends and teachers. Today is the day that my classmates and I begin our life in the wider world and we have many reasons to look forward. It is also the day that a chapter of our lives has come to an end and that gives us a reason to look back and remember. We remember the people who brought us here; who helped us when we needed it. We remember you."

"I was raised by my mother after my father left when he found out she was pregnant with me. She somehow managed to combine her job with raising a daughter. She made sure that I always knew that I was loved, that I was taken care of; that I had a good life. She has been my strength for a long time and I am saddened that she could not be here to see me today because she doesn't have the magic that my classmates and I have almost come to take for granted."

"As I think of my mother and the struggles she faced raising a magical daughter, I also remember the help she received. When I was four years old, a man came into my life. I didn't know he was a wizard at the time, but he already seemed magical to me. Of course, to a four-year-old, the ability to swim seems very magical." There were some titters from the crowd.

"I spent the next year and a half begging my mother to marry this man so I could have a daddy. At the time I didn't understand the implications of what I was asking; I didn't understand love, commitment and that he might already feel these things for someone else. When we learnt that I was magical, he and his girlfriend took me under their wings and taught me what they could about a world that had just come out of a war at the time. To me he became a combination of a father, a big brother and a best friend and he never got upset with me when I stubbornly called him 'Dad' in an effort to convince him to change his mind about marrying Mum. To everyone in the magical world he became a hero for what he did in one day to end the Second Blood War. To me he became a hero for what he did every day. He chased away the monster in the closet, he made me eat my vegetables, he gave me a hug when I had been bullied at school."

"Now that man is married, though it isn't to Mum, and he and his wife have two children already. They call me Auntie and I love to babysit whenever I can. It occurred to me as I was preparing what I would say today that I am now the same age as that man was when he met me and his eldest is now the same age I was then. I hope that when that boy finishes his own education that he'll be able to look at me as an example the same way I still look at that man today."

"It scared me too, as I realised that that boy must already be forming an image of me. I realised that my life in the real world wasn't about to begin, it already had. It was also comforting as I realised that even though my time as a student is ending today, not everything will change. Mum will still love me. Dad will still be there for me, even if I'm sure he's rolling his eyes at me right now. My friends and family will still be a part of my life and I will still know what my teachers taught me."

"When I think about that, the big, wide world and the unknown future don't seem so scary; and if they're not scary I can look forward to them with excitement and a desire to see where life will take me. If they're not so scary then it doesn't matter that there are still things that I don't understand or that I might still need a hug from time to time. For that I thank the people who mean the most to myself and my classmates; I thank you." Kelly stepped away from the lectern to thunderous applause from her classmates and their families. She let out a shaky breath as she made her way off of the dais where the High Table normally stood. As she did she could see the other recent graduates milling about, looking for families and allowing themselves to be hugged by proud parents. Through a break in the crowd she saw a familiar pair of smiling faces and ran over to them happily throwing herself into Harry's arms, as confident now as she had been fourteen years ago that he would catch her.

"That was a wonderful speech, sweetheart. I'm so proud of you." Harry murmured in her ear and she squeezed him even tighter.

"Thanks, Dad." she whispered back.

"That's enough you two. I want my turn." Hermione broke in with a smile and tears in her eyes. "You were fantastic up there, sweetie." She dragged Kelly into a hug as soon as there was some daylight between her and Harry. When she finally drew back, Kelly had tears in her eyes as well.

"So who's taking care of Alex and Heather?" she asked, referring to the couple's two children as she tried to wipe her eyes inconspicuously.

"Your mum and their grandparents." Harry told her with grin. "That actually reminds me: we're supposed to get you home so the rest of the family can embarrass you with stories from when you were little." Kelly grinned back at the closest thing to a father she'd ever known and took his and Hermione's hands in hers.

"Let's go then!" she called as she tugged them on. The laughter and warmth that surrounded her as she walked out of Hogwarts Castle as a student for the very last time made her think back to the last words she had found for her speech. _The future really isn't so scary if you have your family around you._

 **The End**

(seriously, for real, I mean it this time, no take-backsies, over and done with)

* * *

 **AN:** I just want to say that I don't own the Magic Key books either. They belong to Roderick Hunt and I just have fond memories of them from primary school.

A mem-corder is of course the WWW version of a camcorder and uses similar enchantments to a pensieve so that you can record events and relive them by tapping the recording crystal with a wand.

Like I said in the update to last chapter's AN: I added this because I don't think there was a single reviewer who didn't ask for just one more chapter. I hope this gives you all a sense of closure.

Until next time: happy reading.

LeQuin


End file.
